Brethren
by Skitzoeinhoven
Summary: Part Deux to the "No Place Like Home" series.  William must search for The Source which contains the answers to which he seeks. Along the way he confronts his "brothers", and must ultimately decide the fate of the world during the time of the Apocalypse.
1. State of Mind

DOGGETT RESIDENCE

SEPTEMBER 3rd, 2012 6:21 P.M.

"Shhh… There, there now." Cooed Reyes as she laid baby Prudence Amelia Doggett down in her crib to sleep. Reyes gently rubbed her daughter's belly as she admired the calmness in her daughter's face. The serenity of her crib and the silence of the room contradicted to what was happening outside in the real world. All of sudden she heard the front door to the house open and close, signifying that the investigation to both Agent Harrison and William's disappearance had concluded for the day. Reyes softly stepped backwards from the crib and left the room. She carefully closed the door behind her and turned to find both Dana Scully and John Doggett collapsed on the living room couch, exhausted.

"I take it, still no leads?" asked Reyes.

"None," replied Doggett as he gave an exasperated sigh. Scully sunk into the couch cushions with one elbow on the armrest, her hand pinching the bridge of her nose and her eyes closed.

"Well," added Scully, "There were a few witnesses who saw Harrison fall and then miraculously take off from the spot from which she fell. The witnesses claimed to have seen her get up and disappear down a deserted alley between a couple of adjacent business buildings. We came to the alley and found some sludge tracks that showed evidence of a woman's footprint heading down it. However, the tracks just seemed to stop as if she disappeared on the spot."

A moment of silence passed as Reyes sat down on the couch beside Doggett.

"Where's Mulder and Gibson?" asked Reyes.

Doggett sat up on the couch and stretched his back and neck. He started rotating his neck and replied to Reyes, "They're still with Agent Skinner covering Agent Harrison's office with a fine-toothed comb. I think Mulder wants to commit every detail of her office to memory. I think he believes he's forgotten something that will somehow become a breakthrough in their disappearance. I imagine they'll be home relatively soon. If this isn't a rock and a hard place, then I don't know what is."

Reyes nodded silently to herself and then turned to Scully. "Dana…"

Scully mustered enough energy to look up at Reyes addressing her. "Yeah?"

"…How is Mulder? I mean, he's looking worse than he did a week ago. I'm just concerned for his mental state."

"I know," sighed Scully, "I think I'm about to lose it myself. But with Mulder, I think… witnessing a second abduction of another family member… it's literally killing him."

Tears of exhaustion and sadness started to fall from Scully's eyes as she continued, "It's his sister's abduction all over again. He allowed his entire career to be consumed with the idea of one day finding his sister. I'm not one to judge anyone's state of mind as of this moment, because truthfully… I'm a wreck. I know Mulder is too. He just doesn't show it like I do. With Mulder… he bottles his emotions and uses the energy from it to give him purpose…"

"I know that Dana, but… there's got to be a better way to do that, and what he's doing now isn't working. I think… this is the straw that broke the camel's back. This is his repressed memories and emotions circulating over and over again and it's showing. He'll be no good to the investigation if he doesn't have a clear head. He needs a better way to purge his anxieties because he's coming off more para…" Reyes bit her lip and was afraid to finish the rest of her thought.

"…_paranoid_," said Scully finishing Reyes sentence. She winced at the sound of the words, but soon realized that it needed to be said out loud to cement the reality of the situation.

"I only meant, more paranoid than usual. Believe me… anyone who knows or does what we do has to be paranoid on some level," reasoned Reyes.

"No, no, I understand… but to be honest… I don't even know where to begin or what to suggest that'll even help him start healing himself."

Just then a pair of head lights beamed through the living room window which belonged to Agent Skinner's vehicle. Three gentlemen got out of the car and slowly made their way to the front steps of the Doggett house. Skinner entered the house first, followed by Mulder and Gibson.

"Mulder…" called out Scully from across the living room. She wanted to get up and comfort Mulder, but she herself was exhausted from the defeated day. Mulder was speechless and didn't look at anyone while he headed straight to William's bedroom. Gibson took one look at the rest of the group and gestured to them that he was going to go follow Mulder to the bedroom.

"How'd it go?" asked Doggett, who quickly got the conversation going.

Skinner sighed quickly and responded, "Same as yesterday. We just got done interviewing the forensic team that cleaned up and analyzed Harrison's office. They're claiming that Harrison wasn't the person that fell out the window. And according to Harrison's executive director she's still on active duty with a case that was assigned to her outside of D.C. She's not due back for another week or so. With Mulder's history with the FBI and my being semi-conscious at the time of the occurrence, we made for very bad witnesses. Nobody believes our story."

* * *

Gibson knocked on the door, and without waiting for a response he opened it and entered the room. He saw Mulder curled up on William's bed as if he was attempting to envelope his body with William's scent.

"Mulder… there's no use doing that. I know what you're thinking. And it's the same thing over and over again. You're making yourself sick. Heck, I'm hearing it ad nauseam. This isn't like what happened with your sister, Samantha. Please _believe me_, when I say that I have the upmost confidence that William will come back."

"Nothing… We found NOTHING! Not even so much as a hair to go by. No one believes me."

"What are you talking about? Everyone in this house believes what you saw."

"Gibson…" started Mulder as he fought with every fiber of his being to not cry, "… I am at my wit's end. I don't even know where to begin. If I stop, it's like I've failed and given up on him... I wasn't able to save my sister. I was too young and didn't have the resources to find her, when I could have probably saved her. And now… I'm even more powerless to find my own son."

"You've got to end this thinking cycle. And in order to do that you've got to quit blaming yourself for his disappearance. To be honest… it's not your fault and there was nothing you could have done to prevent what happened. Will's abilities are unlike anything any of us have ever seen. And if the person you saw was was an alien similar to Will, then there was nothing in your power you could have done. William's a survivor. Just like his parents."

Mulder laid there in silence and took the few seconds to acknowledge and admit what Gibson was saying. He sat up in the bed and turned to look at Gibson. Gibson saw the redness and exhaustion in Mulder's eyes as he approached Mulder and sat down on the bed beside him.

"When did you become so grown-up?" Mulder asked.

Gibson smirked and shrugged his shoulders, "I know… and, you're welcome."

Mulder, for the first time in over a week, smiled back at Gibson and ruffled his hair in appreciation.

"It will get better, Mulder. I promise…" started Gibson. His face automatically altered from uplifting, happy and light-hearted to calm, serious and concerned. His ears perked up and his head seemed to follow the direction of the sound. Mulder, alerted to Gibson's facial reaction, inquired, "What? What is it? What do you hear?"

* * *

"So what are our plans for tomorrow? What shall we do next?" Scully inquired.

"Scully, you and I can do more research into the material we found in Gibson's rock," suggested Reyes.

"I'll see if we could gain access to look over all the evidence material again," suggested Skinner.

"I'll look into seeing if I can head…" stuttered Doggett as he took notice of Gibson gravitating towards the bay window that overlooked the front lawn, "…the investigation."

"Gibson?" said Scully in a concerned tone. The focus was now on Gibson who didn't say a word. Everyone in the room got up and moved nearer to Gibson. Mulder followed behind Gibson trying desperately to look up and see what he was seeing. There was a pregnant pause that filled the room. Everyone held their breath awaiting Gibson's next response.

"It's William. He's here."


	2. Disbelief

"WHAT?"

"Oh my…"

"Where is he?"

There was a murmur of mixed relief and concerned voices that filled the room. Mulder was the only mute person in the group, reading Gibson's facial expressions.

"Shhhh," hushed Gibson to the group. The room became silent once again.

"He's really close," whispered Gibson. All of a sudden a brilliant white-bluish florescent light filled the front lawn and in an instant a young man appeared out of the void.

"It's William!" exclaimed Gibson as he darted for the front door. The party rushed outside to the front lawn to meet the stranger who Gibson believed to be William. The young man before them looked rugged and beaten.

_~This can't be William~ ~How is this William?~ ~What the hell happened?~_

The minds of everyone in the group were racing; filled with questions that demanded explanations. William had dirt smudges on his face and appeared to have not showered in a few days. The clothes on his back were torn and ripped, and the pieces of cloth dangled on his shirt like tassels on a curtain. Will looked around at his audience, his face tear-streaked, and in his relief collapsed to his knees. Gibson ran up to William and grabbed his shoulders.

"Will, what happened to you?" asked Gibson out loud.

"I've seen so much…" cried Will in fatigued breath. Through glassy tear-filled eyes he looked everywhere except into anyone's eyes. He appeared nauseated with emotion and exhaustion. "…everything's gone. My adoptive parents are dead. They were tortured and killed on the spaceship."

"Ok, wow, so that's how you got here. Will, how did you get like this? Why do you look…different? Older?" said Gibson.

"Do you remember where you were first abducted?" added Mulder.

"…I remember Leyla's office… She fell out of the building. I remember seeing Mr. Skinner on the floor and healing his wounds and the next thing I knew I was… _back home_. But it wasn't really my home it was my clone, Liam, who talked to me through my subconscious. We can communicate through our Nanites. That is the key. It's what my body makes and has… Nanites! It's made of this foreign metal with peculiar sentient properties. It is not from this planet, but from the planet in which these aliens originated from. But… we're all aliens. We're all related to them! I am their master plan. I'm supposed to guide them to the next world order…"

Everyone in the group found it difficult to understand what he was saying. William was evidently hysterical and needed to relax and find some sense of normalcy. Scully rushed over to kneel beside Will and placed both of her hands upon his face. Will momentarily stopped his gibberish-explanation as she stared deep into his cool baby-blue eyes and asked,

_~Are you my son?~_

"Yes!" William cried out in exasperated breath. Scully continued to stare into his eyes as if peering into his soul. It was there she would see the truth. There was a brief moment where she wasn't sure that it was really him, but then she felt a connection that came over her like a calm wave. It was in that feeling that she brought him in closer for an embrace.

"It's really you! My boy, what did they do to you?" cried Scully, softly into Will's ear.

Will laid his head on Scully's soft shoulder. The warmth in her arms wrapped around his body instantly melted away the pain and anxiety he once had. He couldn't explain the effect that she had on him, but whatever it was it relaxed him and kept him steady. They pulled apart and William was able to regain composure and resume his explanation more clearly.

"I woke up from my communication with Liam on his ship. It was there that I found my adoptive parents dead. I was then told by Liam about his existence being an abomination and how he was being hunted by my clones. There was limited time left to what we had together. Well, the clones caught up with me and took us to a chamber that kept an Aging Machine. Liam was aging rapidly and it was a result of this torture device that makes the Nanites within the body unstable. So unstable, that it becomes combatant and deteriorates the body rapidly. I was thrown into the machine first which warped me into what you see right now. The machine was excruciating. I couldn't bear the pain. I passed out. The next thing I knew, I heard Liam's voice in my head calling my name. I awoke and then the craziest thing happened…

"Now you've got to understand, when I first entered the chamber all of my abilities were neutralized, including my ability to hear peoples' thoughts. Like as if it was embedded with Gibson's rock. I heard Liam's voice and then I saw my clone using the control pad to kill Liam. I had to stop him. So I did… and… and then I killed him. I touched his body and I replicated the Aging Machine's function and sped up his Nanites rate of deterioration. It happened so fast that he turned to ash from where I touched him. Moments later I went into convulsions and my body aged. So every time I use my powers… I age.

"Liam died on the ship. I didn't know what to do. I could have saved him, he was… me after all. A clone. And in that moment, I saw who I could be; a reflection of my possible future. Honestly, I've been so lost. So much was happening to me all at once… I just freaked out. It took me a while to figure out the mechanics of the ship, but eventually I got the hang of it and did what I needed to survive. I've been wandering around aimlessly, not caring where I landed searching for the panacea to my issues. I finally came across my old home in Wyoming. And as soon as I had stepped foot on the property, I was being overrun by Super Soldiers. I've been on the run since then and I knew it was only a matter of time before I was caught up by my clone brethren. I managed to beam myself back onto my ship and I found myself coming back here."

The only people in the party that seemed to believe his story was Gibson and Scully. Doggett wasn't sure how to react and Reyes seemed bewildered by the tale. Mulder, however, had a deep reservation about the whole thing and had nothing but questions that seemed to compensate to all the doubts he had.

"How do we know that you're not one of these clones?" said Mulder in a contemptuous voice.

"Mulder!" exclaimed Scully, confused by his demeanor.

"You said it yourself, you had blackouts. How do you even know that you're not a clone yourself?" continued Mulder.

"I… I… don't kn…" stammered Will.

"How should we know that you're not indirectly working for them? And that you're not simply feeding us lies and tales just to pacify our quest to find to truth?"

"Hey now, Mulder. Let's just calm down here…" piped in Doggett. He could tell that Mulder was unnecessarily escalating the tension of the moment.

"Mulder, he's telling you the truth!" said Gibson. William was distraught, he couldn't believe what Mulder was implying.

"_Is he?_ How would you know the difference between the real William, and a clone who has had the memories of William implanted in him? I have seen cases where it's happened before!" said Mulder vehemently.

"There's no need to be alarmed. If Gibson says it's your son, then…" contributed Reyes.

"No, no, no... my _son…_ is eleven years old. And not this time. I want proof! If all this is true and you're really my son, then you'll bring forth Leyla Harrison in for questioning!" replied Mulder. And on that statement, Mulder turned away from the group and headed back inside the house.

William was so frustrated and offended that he stood up and angrily shouted back, "FINE! I'll go!"

"Wait! You stay right there!" commanded Scully to William as she stormed off after Mulder to give her a piece of her mind. Once she stepped inside, the arguing commenced. It was only a few moments after that that the baby started to cry.

"Oh damn. I just put her down too," said Reyes, "John, do you mind ushering the fight to the backyard or something while I calm Mia down." Both Reyes and Doggett headed back to the house, which left Skinner, Gibson and William standing by themselves. The whole time Will had been standing there, he didn't know that Reyes' baby had been born.

"Monica had her baby? When did that happen?" Will asked calmly.

"Prudence Amelia Doggett was born the night you disappeared. We've been searching for you and Leyla Harrison since then," replied Skinner.

"What a beautiful name. I guess a lot of things have happened this past week," remarked Will. He almost seemed enamored by Prudence's name. But he soon realized that it wasn't the name that he liked, he was jealous of the youth and innocence he once had and missed out on. Then he turned to look at Gibson hearing something that was soon voiced out loud.

"I'm coming with you," stated Gibson.

"What? You can't go! What will you do?" replied Skinner.

"Mulder doesn't believe it's really William. And I do. I'm an adult and I'm making my decision to help William find Leyla," said Gibson before immediately running back into the house to collect his things.

It was a relief to Will to hear Gibson say that out loud and not just in his head. It gave him confidence knowing that he had a familiar ally to help him on his venture. Skinner looked down on the ground before deciding on his position. He walked over to William and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Look, I don't know what to make out of this whole situation. I can't even begin to logically explain all of this. My gut tells me that you are the real William. If you are the real William, then I wanted to personally thank you for saving my life. I have also been meaning to hand you this…"

From within the depths of his trench coat pockets, Skinner pulled out a vial with silver liquid swirling about inside.

"…It was delivered to me and left on my desk by Harrison herself. I meant to question her about it, but she knocked me out before I had a chance to."

In an instant William had a flashback to Leyla Harrison's office…

_He remembered Mulder discovering Skinner's wounded body lying on the floor and Leyla going after Mulder to attack him. With her being a Super Soldier, he was the only person that could protect Mulder. He used his telekinetic powers to hoist Leyla in the air and stop her. She was forced out the window. He felt someone else force his hand to do so. There was a voice in his head coaching him to do it. It was Liam's!_

Skinner handed the vial over to Will who accepted it. William felt sick with nostalgia hearing Liam's voice in his head again. "…It was Liam…" whispered Will.

"What?" asked Skinner. He could barely hear Will's voice.

"Liam was the one who delivered this to you," said Will.

"Well, whoever it was, the message indicated that it was meant for you. And I believe, meant to be injected in you to eliminate your abilities altogether. That is, if you had wanted to live a normal life."

"Yeah well, as I've said…" Will held out his hand containing the vial. He forced his energy upon it causing it to float inches in the air, "…I'm immune to it. It doesn't work on me anymore."

"I get that. However, if you do come across Harrison…" said Skinner, implying to inject Harrison with the liquid, "…you need to protect yourself. Remember she's not entirely human anymore."

"I understand," confirmed Will.

Gibson came back outside soon after with a bag full of his possessions, along with Scully who was flustered and Doggett who just wanted to calm everyone down.

"Where are you going Gibson?" demanded Scully.

"Let's not make any rash decisions here," contributed Doggett.

"I'm leaving with Will," clarified Gibson. Scully turned to Will and redirected her implorations.

"No, no, no! Please, don't leave! You just got here. Will, forgive Mulder, he doesn't realize what he's saying. He's been under so much stress and duress since you were abducted, it's affected him psychologically. We've all been upset from this. Please stay!" pleaded Scully. She couldn't believe what was happening because it was all happening so quickly.

William walked over to Scully and when he approached her he realized he was no longer the little boy they once knew. He was only inches taller than Scully and from that point of view was able to see how things wouldn't be the same anymore. He hugged her to calm her down and gently said to her, "I have to go. Please don't worry. I will come back. Only next time, when I do, I'll bring back Ms. Harrison and hopefully answers to combat all of our questions. This is something I have to do."

William released his hug and took a step back from her. Tears flowed from Scully's face and he took the time to wipe the tears away, drying her face with his hand. He smiled gently as he cupped Scully's face in his hands. He then stared kindly into her eyes saying, "Thank you for healing me. Thank you for believing me. I love you… _Mom_."

Will let go of his hands from her face and gently kissed her on the cheek. She closed her eyes momentarily as he stepped back next to Gibson, never breaking eye contact with her. He placed a hand on Gibson's shoulder and within seconds a soft glow cascaded upon them. The glow immediately turned into a bright light and then just like that, they were gone.


	3. Serendipity

SEPTEMBER 7th, 2012 1:26 P.M.

"Dang it! Will!" shouted Gibson as they were being chased by a couple of Super Soldiers, "This is the fifth time this week."

Both Gibson and Will escaped the fast food restaurant, exiting on opposite sides of the building. A couple of Super Soldiers had split the pair causing them to separate.

"I know! I know! I think the ship has been tagged or something. Believe me this was not how I wanted to spend lunch…"

Another female Super Soldier came within arm's length of Will, to which he narrowly dodged her grasp. William continued running down the city street, his eyes searching for Gibson. He saw dozens of faces down the road and none of them matched Gibson's description.

_~GIBSON!~ _ called out Will. He quickly turned around to look for Gibson until his eyes were locked on a male Super Soldier staring back at him, coming in on his position. Will turned down a deserted alley between two abandoned buildings. He turned around to see if anyone was following him. All of a sudden he heard someone get his attention.

"Pssst."

William turned toward the direction of the sound and found an older Caucasian man with gray hair and light blue eyes usher him towards his general direction. The older man appeared to be in his sixties, holding the door open to one of the abandoned buildings. Seeing as there was no other place to hide Will ran towards the man and stepped inside. As soon as he did, the older man held a finger to his lips gesturing to remain quiet and then pointed up. William looked up and followed his lead, climbing the stairs stealthily. They passed by a sign on the wall that indicated they were heading to the rooftop of the building. The mysterious man opened the door to the rooftop and they walked over towards the edge of the building. They both peered over the side looking down at the alley.

The male Super Soldier turned to look down the deserted alley. He was about to start walking down it when there was a large clatter on the opposite end of the street. The Super Soldier turned around and ran immediately towards the direction of the disturbance.

"Thank you sir," exhaled Will with a sigh of relief.

"When I saw that it was you they were after and not me, I only realized that circumstances have really changed over the past years."

The old man's mind was much harder to hear than most people's thoughts, and Will found it both confusing and dumbfounding.

"I'm sorry. What? Who are you?" wondered William.

"My name is Jeremiah Smith. And what, may I ask, is yours?" replied the older man in a calm but steady voice.

"My name is William Scully. Those Super Soldiers have been following me for the past week or so, and I've only managed to escape them. Please, sir, I need to find my friend Gibson Praise before they do."

"Scully… that name sounds familiar. Ah, yes. Now that's a name I haven't heard in a while. You wouldn't happen to know who Dana Scully is, would you?"

"Yes… she's my mother," said Will in bewilderment.

"Ah, things are starting to make sense."

"Wait a second, how do you know my mother?"

"She and I knew each other when she was looking for her partner, Mulder, I believe it is."

William's heart jumped in his throat. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Geez. This is a small world," remarked Will.

"You're telling me," replied Jeremiah as Will stood there bewildered by the pieces he was putting together. "Your friend that you speak of is not who those 'Super Soldiers' are looking for. The person they're searching for… is you."

"What? How do you know all of this? Wait…" There was a something strange about this man's nature and the oddity of his thought patterns which gave Will the impression that he wasn't human. "…you're not human, are you?"

"No, I am not human. So believe me when I say that there's something foreign about you that I think is causing this pursuit."

Will's jaw dropped. His mind immediately became flooded with over a million questions to ask him. He didn't even know which question to ask of him first.

Jeremiah continued, "C'mon then. I think I know where I saw your friend disappear to. Afterward, we'll go find a place to eat and talk safely. I'm sure you have a lot of questions to ask, as do I." Jeremiah looked Will up and down, taking note of the state of his well-being and his famished appearance, "I'll buy."

* * *

Both Jeremiah Smith and William Scully panned the streets, looking back and forth to see if they were being watched. The coast was clear and they crossed the street to an adjacent building. They went down the vacant alley and behind the building where a green dumpster unit leaned up against the wall.

_~Gibson?~ _thought Will.

_~Will? Did you know that there's an alien close by to you?~ _echoed Gibson's voice in Will's head.

_~Yes. I do.~ _"He's here. Where are you?" said Will out loud.

_~Are you sure it's safe to come out?"_

"Yes it is, for crying out loud! He's going to buy lunch for us."

The lid to the green dumpster unit flipped open and Gibson's head popped out. He climbed out of the unit smelling a mixture of molding frozen food and cardboard boxes. The stench left slightly disgusted faces on both Jeremiah and Will, to which Gibson replied, "What? It could have been worse. It could have been the dumpster of a Chinese food restaurant."

Jeremiah shrugged his shoulders and led the way to the intended restaurant. They started walking together down the alley when William noticed Gibson limping.

"Are you ok?" asked Will as Gibson hobbled by him.

"Eh, I think it's just a sprain," said Gibson as he paused for a moment to leaned up against a wall.

"Hold up. Stop moving. Let me fix it."

Jeremiah Smith stopped in his tracks and turned around to see the reason for the impediment. He approached Will, who was already on the ground next to Gibson's injured ankle. Before Jeremiah was able to intervene and assist, he saw Will place a hand on Gibson's exposed ankle. Within moments the bruise that was once purple and blue turned into a healthy fleshy skin color.

"How interesting…" marveled Jeremiah, both Gibson and Will looked up at him. "It appears, Mr. Scully, that you and I have something in common after all."

* * *

"So…?" started Jeremiah as he stared at the two young men scarfing down the food on their plates. They sat down in a quaint little Chinese food restaurant which was just off the beaten path. "How did you get here? I haven't seen you around here before."

In between bites, Will took a gulp of his beverage and spoke, "I have a spaceship."

"_Excuse me_?"

"I suppose I kind of inherited it."

"How is that even possible?"

"My turn…" said Will. "How do you know my mother?"

"She was partners with a man named Fox Mulder." Both Gibson and Will briefly paused their eating at the sounds of Mulder's name. "I take it, you've heard of Fox Mulder."

Will looked up at Jeremiah and slowly confirmed by nodding his head, "Yeah… He's my father."

"Interesting."

"Now… you mentioned how I'm the one they're looking for. What did you mean by that?" inquired Will.

Jeremiah looked around the restaurant then looked back at William. "You know that feeling where you feel like someone is staring at you. That's what it's like. It's a pull, like a magnet. But with you, it's like you are radiating heat and it could be felt from across the room."

"We think that the ship has been attracting all these Super Soldiers. I mean, how can we know for sure that it isn't the ship?" chimed in Gibson as he took his index finger and pushed his glasses further up on his nose.

"Oh, I'm sure that the ship has been traced. So I recommend you either keep moving or leave it behind." Jeremiah paused for a moment to look at both Gibson and Will and how disheveled their appearance was. "How have you both been surviving? I mean, since you're not with your parents."

William stopped eating and proceeded to answer his question, "Honestly, I've been using my abilities to sneak food from fast food restaurants."

Will wasn't proud of the fact, and in his defense he pulled out a composition notebook. "I've been keeping track of what I owed in this."

Gibson responded, "I only had so much cash on hand and I drained whatever was left on my account to eating. Sleeping-wise… we've tried sleeping on the ship, but honestly it really creeps me out."

William was noting the meals they were gladly consuming into his notebook, "I may not have anything now, but someday I intend to pay everything forward." He heaved a great sigh before continuing, "I have been sent by my father to find a person."

To which Gibson replied, "Which I don't see why you don't see the whole situation as Mulder having a mental breakdown." Will gave a sharp look towards Gibson, offended by his remark. "What I mean is, he's gone through a lot. When you were abducted before his eyes, he didn't know how to handle it. So, I think in his mind he rationally couldn't have trusted that it was _really_ you. Especially since you came back as an adult as opposed to a ten year old…"

"Eleven!" corrected Will.

"…an _eleven_," Gibson raised his hands to surrender, "year old. I stand corrected."

"Wait…" remarked Jeremiah, "you're only eleven years old?"

"I was abducted by one of my Nanite clones, Liam. He started this chaos in my life. He was dying and needed to tell me about who I was and what my destiny is suppose to be. Supposedly, I'm to lead _mankind_ from salvation or assist this world through an _alien revolution_. Anyways, Liam went rogue from the other clones and was soon caught by them. I was in the crossfire and we both were put in this torture device called the Aging Machine. I somehow escaped it and am aging every day more quickly than usual," explained Will solemnly. He began having flashbacks that led him up to this point in his life.

"Ah, so… you're not completely human either." Jeremiah took a sip of his coffee before speaking, "You mentioned that you were looking for a person. Who is it?" Jeremiah was putting the pieces of William's story together.

Gibson answered, "We're looking for a woman, a FBI agent named Leyla Harrison. Only she's now a Super Soldier."

"And why is she so important to find?" asked Jeremiah.

"We've got to bring her back to Mulder to answer his questions and prove that Will wasn't lying," replied Gibson shoveling a huge chunk of Egg Foo Young patty into his mouth.

"How do you both intend on doing that?" Jeremiah asked.

"Honestly…we haven't a clue," said Will, wiping his mouth off with a napkin. "Though, there is this vial that I have. It was meant to be injected in me and eliminate all of my abilities. But ever since I had gone through the Aging Machine, it hasn't worked on me."

"Do you not have any other defenses against these Super Soldiers? If you have the ability to heal, do you not also have the ability to destroy?"

William had a flashback to when he destroyed one of his Nanite clones. "Yes, but at a price. How would you even know about that?"

"Being alien, comes with the abilities. For example…"

There was a scratch still on Gibson's forehead. With a brush of Jeremiah's hand on Gibson's forehead, the wound was healed. "…I can heal as well. I can also…" Jeremiah shape-shifted to the form of a younger Dana Scully, "…change my appearance. Can you do the same?"

The sudden change in Jeremiah's voice and appearance left both the young men feeling unsettled. Will stared into Jeremiah's eyes as he shifted back to his original form.

_~Can you also hear unspoken thoughts?~_ asked William.

Silence lingered on the table for a few seconds. "So I take it, you can't," replied Jeremiah.

_~I take it he can't hear thoughts~ _remarked Gibson looking at Will. Will turned to Gibson and acknowledged him with a slight nod.

"How can we trust you?" Will asked.

"You can't. But your father trusted me. And that's more than what he has for you."

Although Jeremiah never intended it to be an insult, William was slightly offended. Gibson saw the anger begin to manifest on his face when he asked, "If you're such a trusted ally, how come you weren't there during his trial all those years ago?"

This redirected William's thoughts for a moment.

_What is he talking about? What trial?_

"I didn't even know there was a trial for Fox Mulder. I was busy avoiding my fellow aliens. On the last interview I had with Agent Scully, I was abducted."

"How did you escape?"

"Not easily, of course. I managed to escape by means of redeployment. Of course, I suppose I should have been dead, with all the alien exposure I was causing with my healing of humans. I think upon evaluation, they thought that I was simply cattle-herding for them. Gathering them all together and healing them, only to be reused as new alien bodies. I was redirected on another mission, to continue doing what I was doing. Only, I don't agree with what my kind has been doing. I think we should co-mingle and not interfere. I think our alien species should learn to adapt to mankind, and not the other way around. So, I was jettison from the ship and did my best to avoid them since."

"How did you get here, of all places? How is it that you have money?" asked Will.

"I'm a concierge doctor," replied Jeremiah nonchalantly.

"_Really_?" responded a shocked Gibson.

"Why are you surprised? I was up at Hampton Beach when a couples' son fell into cardiac arrest. The young boy was wheel chair bound and I managed to resuscitate him… and give motor function to his once atrophied legs. Well, within moments the child was healed and was able to get up from his chair and walk around. I insisted on remaining incognito, but the parents being big time business executives… paid me. They took me in for a while and then passed me along to their other rich friends."

"…So you're Hank-Med?"

"What?" replied Jeremiah and Will simultaneously.

"Oh come on! You've never seen the show Royal Pains?" said Gibson emphatically.

Both Gibson and Will shook their heads, gesturing 'no'. "Shame. It's a good show."

"All references aside, what is that vial suppose to do?" Jeremiah asked.

"I believe its suppose to shut down the Nanites within the body that give us our abilities."

"_Us_… are you saying that he has abilities as well?" Jeremiah looked over at Gibson briefly, "I knew that William wouldn't have brought you along on this quest if you did not carry some capability of your own."

"Yes, I have abilities," replied Gibson sarcastically, "I can hear people's thoughts, ok? I was able to detect that you were an alien before I even crawled out of that dumpster."

"Yeah, that and because you heard free food," remarked Will jovially.

"_And_…" continued Gibson, "I might add that I came along free-willing, not because Will chose me. I'm an asset to this ensemble… I bring moral support."

"Right," concurred Jeremiah in the most serious way possible.

"So, what were you and my parents working on together, if you can remember?" questioned Will, as he took a huge gulp of his beverage.

"Oh um, let's see, the last time I saw your father he had just been dropped off from an alien abduction. I had been living with a society of healed abducted refugees. Mulder was in incredibly bad shape, but then again, all returned abductees back then were handed back in horrific states. So close to death that they could kiss it in the face. I had intended on healing Mulder myself, but was soon interrupted by law enforcement, which included Scully. She didn't know what was going on, but I knew my time on Earth was running short. I had tried to hide, but she saw right through my disguise and knew who I was. Before I could do anything, I was abducted myself and haven't heard from either one of them since. I soon as have assumed that Mulder had died. I never even had given it a thought that Scully had had a child, especially with that of Mulder."

"Yeah, well the circumstances of my conception weren't exactly normal either, but that's another story I'll have to explain later." William took a quick inhale of breath, immediately redirecting the conversation,

"So, Gibson… Mulder was on _trial_? For what? And…" Will turned to Jeremiah, "if you could have defended my father in this trial while he was conscious, then Mr. Smith, you've met my father before. What did you guys discuss?"

Nobody said anything. "Don't everybody shout out loud at once."

Gibson was the first person to respond, "Mulder was on military trial for murdering a Super Soldier named Knowle Rohrer. But as we all know, you can't kill a Super Soldier. The entire trial was rigged though. One of the judge's on Mulder's panel was Super Soldier. The trial became more about exposing the truth than a simple murder case because in order to explain how Mulder was innocent, you had to explain what a Super Soldier was and how it came to be that Knowle Rohrer and Mulder crossed paths. Mulder's case was weak on evidence so I sought out to help him, against his wishes. I exposed one of the judges for being alien which caused the entire panel to waver on their decision, but it wasn't enough. They would have gotten more proof if certain individuals had stepped forward…"

Gibson emphasized his last sentence towards Jeremiah about his frustration. "…but alas, Mulder was found guilty, sent to jail, escaped from jail, and disappeared from the U.S. with Scully. I was then sent to live with another foster family in Ohio. That is, until one crazy day Doggett and Mulder show up at my door to bring me back to this… situation in which we find ourselves in."

"Crops and Bee husbandry," said Jeremiah out loud, and to what felt out of the blue.

"What?" exclaimed Will.

"The truth is that Aliens are going to take over the world, am I not correct?" Both Will and Gibson nodded in agreement. "Well, they're going to do it through an alien virus which is injected by means of a bee sting. This then transforms the stung human into a host for the new alien to gestate."

"I heard of this," replied Gibson, "Will, after you were born Mulder feared endangering the lives of both you and Scully. Mulder fled to the desert and hid with me. During that time we spent together, he explained a lot of what he saw in his past X-Files cases. This was one of them. From what I was told there's a vaccine for it now, extremely hard to come by."

Will was shocked by how much Gibson knew about Mulder and Scully's past and how much he didn't. He wished that Gibson had explained this to him before, but figured that since the story was unfolding before him now, he preferred to have a better insight to both his parents than be surprised later on. This lunch was satisfying in more ways than one. His path and his destiny was starting to become clearer.

"If you want to see your friend Leyla Harrison, you've got to stop running away from these soldiers and know how to embrace them…"


	4. Confrontation

"…believe it or not, these _Super Soldiers_ as you so aptly named them, are your kin. They need your guidance either way. In my opinion, I don't even think they want to harm you. Think of it like you're the Queen Bee. You give off these pheromones that give these Worker Bees direction and a sense of purpose that would, from their point of view, lead to the success of the overall hive."

"So, what do you suggest I do? Where do I even begin?" spoke Will.

Jeremiah continued his suggestion, "You've got to confront them and somehow… lead them. Demand things. If they don't do as they're told threaten to kill them. You've got to be quick, cold and bold in your decisions. Once you are able to infiltrate and control the '_hive_' then you can locate your friend."

"Will, you have the vial Skinner gave you. Instead of using it on yourself, use it on Leyla," contributed Gibson.

"Skinner _did_ suggest that earlier."

"Well, I think it should work."

"But that's _if_ we find her. I don't even…" William gave up with a frustrated sigh and looked back and forth between Gibson and Jeremiah. There wasn't any time for cowardice. It was time to stop running and react. "Let's do this."

* * *

"I can't get caught," insisted Jeremiah. The three men left the Chinese restaurant and headed back to the fast food place where they were spotted by Super Soldiers earlier. Gibson walked in step with Will and Jeremiah was slowly falling behind.

Will halted his step and turned around to address Jeremiah, "Look. You were the one who suggested this. I had no clue what my next step was until you said it plainly to me back at the restaurant." Will turned back around and continued on his trek, "How could I have been so blind? It only makes sense now."

"He's right you know. He's got to face his fear sometime or another," contributed Gibson.

"Yes, but how are you going to defend yourself?" asked Jeremiah.

"I can take care of myself," replied Will, "You can go on your merry way Mr. Smith. Thank you for lunch, but I've got to do something that I should have done a long time ago."

"There's no use being a martyr."

"And there's no use in being a coward either. So much is at stake here. And if I sit idly by, something bad is going to happen. But not when I can actually do something about it."

The group had walked down a few blocks and then made their way down a couple of alleys. William could see the fast food place within sight. They leaned up against the side of a building, hiding just out of visual range of the restaurant. Will turned to address his comrades, "Look, this is the point of no return. You're either with me, or you're not."

"What's your plan? Because if it sounds like what I think it is, then it sounds a bit hazardous to me," responded Gibson.

"What would you like us to do?" asked Jeremiah.

"I'm going to draw them out and away from the rest of the public's eye. I want to see what they'll do to me or what they even want from me. I want you guys to go to a rooftop and… if you see the situation go bad, then I want you to disappear." Neither Gibson nor Jeremiah liked the plan at all, and in their response groaned in disapproval. "Gibson, tell my mother what happened to me if it doesn't turn out well."

"Hey boss… if it doesn't turn out well, I won't be able to tell her cause I'll be right beside you the entire time. You're going to have to tell her yourself," answered Gibson heroically. Will smiled in approval to Gibson's reply.

"You know what? You do bring moral support to this ensemble," said Will as he amicably nudged Gibson in the arm with his elbow, "And Mr. Smith… I appreciate your objective criticism, but you don't owe me anything at this point."

"I understand that Mr. Scully, however, there are still questions I have about you that still need answering. This isn't the last you'll see of me."

"Alright. So we have an accord?" Will looked at both Gibson and Jeremiah and they both quickly nodded. "Okay." Will took a slow deep inhale and exhale because in the back of his mind, even he wasn't sure how this was going to go down.

The three men casually walked up to the fast food joint and proceeded as if nothing happened earlier. William felt like he was leading his group into a battle with uncertain means to an end. He turned around to double-check on his support, and they were gone.

_Where did they go? This isn't good._

William was blindsided by a couple of Super Soldiers who grabbed him by the arms in broad daylight. He was surprised to have seen their forwardness in public and was dragged off into one of the abandoned buildings. The two male Super Soldiers didn't even bother to look down at their captured victim. Will was dragging his feet slightly because of the fast pace his captors were walking, causing a few people to turn and stare. The people who stared or saw what was going on, dropped what they were doing and started following Will and the two Super Soldiers. It was at that point that Will didn't put up a fight. He didn't even shout out for help. Other than the fierce grip that the two Super Soldiers had upon Will, they didn't show any kind of threat yet. He didn't want to fight them until he knew for sure his life or the lives of his party were in danger.

Will finally was able to catch his footing and walk in step with his captors. They walked into the empty building and headed up what appeared to be an altar of some sorts. Once Will was at the top of the altar, the two Super Soldiers let go of him and stood beside him like two bodyguards.

_Alright. This is weird._

And then he turned around. People were filing into the room filling in the pews and packing up against the walls like sardines. No one said a word until one of the Super Soldiers who entered the room uncovered Gibson's mouth, "Will! What's going on?"

Jeremiah soon entered the room after Gibson, being escorted by a Super Soldier as well. Jeremiah looked around the room hesitantly, unsure of the outcome to this situation.

"I don't know!" shouted Will from across the room. Both Gibson and Jeremiah were being ushered into the opposite side of the room from Will. Finally, the room was packed with people to whom Will assumed were all Super Soldiers. The tension in the air was so thick with anticipation; the slightest movement could have been easily misconstrued as a dangerous threat. The room went still, and quiet and remained that way for a good five minutes or so.

Will's heartbeat was pounding between his ears. He started to feel anxious as his knees started to tremble. He could hear both Gibson's and Jeremiah's nervous thoughts, but was surprised to not hear anybody else's in that crowded room. The silence in the room wasn't the only thing that William found odd about the situation. All of them were staring up at him, as if they were waiting with bated breath.

His throat suddenly became dry as he stared out across the room. He gulped with what little saliva was left in his mouth to rid the lump that was in his throat. When the lump still remained he coughed to finally clear it and with a deep breath exhaled, "whoo boy."

* * *

DOGGETT RESIDENCE

SEPTEMBER 7th, 2012 4:48 P.M.

Scully sat on the back porch staring out into the backyard. She was silent as she stared at the grass moving gently with the wind. She pondered the choices she's made while reflecting upon her life. She thought about the people she loved and lost in her life. _Was their sacrifice insignificant?_ She wondered.

The screen door to the house opened and Mulder entered the deck carrying a cup of tea for Scully. He offered the cup to her as if in retribution for his past actions. Scully didn't bother to look up at him. Mulder assumed with her indignation that she was thinking about William. It had been the source of most of their arguments this past week and it was most likely why she was still upset with him.

"I brought you some tea. The kind you like," said Mulder. Scully remained silent and seemed determined to react ambivalently toward him. Mulder placed the steaming cup of hot tea on the table next to her and humbly sat down on the space next to her. He sat there quietly with Scully and allowed the void of silence to settle between them. He looked at Scully and tried to see what she was staring at. He looked at it for a while and then looked down in his hands in shame.

"I'm sorry," he said. Scully closed her eyes in reaction to his words, as if shutting out the pain she was desperately avoiding to expose. "You're right, about everything," continued Mulder.

Scully's eyes remained closed. She thought about everything she had sacrificed for him and until now, wasn't sure whether or not he truly appreciated anything she had ever done for him. She reflected back on the rough arguments that erupted since Gibson and Will's departure. She was done arguing and there was nothing left for her to say to Mulder.

"I never took into account how much William loved us," said Mulder as he gently picked up Scully's hand and placed it in his. He looked over at Scully and noticed with the blouse she was wearing exposed the necklace she wore. He took his available hand and lifted the golden cross with his forefinger so that the golden chain dangled more beautifully around her neck and glittered in the sun's setting light.

"You know," he continued, "I've always been jealous of your faith. How this scientist, who lives on evidence and proof, can still have faith in things that have no proof at all? And yet, here we are." He let go of the cross and it fell gracefully back onto Scully. Scully tried desperately to ignore Mulder, but there was always something about his presence where she felt compelled to listen.

"All those cases long ago, I thought about only me. I guess, being alone in your beliefs, it felt like me versus the world. And for that, Dana, I am so sorry. I've been selfish. You've put so much of your life on the line for the sake of me. And despite everything, you have had this incredible amount of faith in me, which I find insanely beautiful. So I look at the cross that you wear upon your neck and I think, 'Wow! How could I have been so lucky? This scientist and serious person has faith in _me_. I am completely unworthy of this.' But after realizing my selfishness, I had to put aside my ego. And that's when the irony hit me… this scientist and serious person has given _me_ the gift of faith. And it occurred to me then what had been bothering me my entire life. I've never understood the reason why I've been so passionate about things, and not knowing the source was like a thorn in my side. It's faith in the truth. You are my truth Dana, and I thank you for giving me faith."

Dana finally turned to look Mulder in the face. A few tears fell from the corners of her eyes as she planted a passionate kiss upon Mulder. When they broke from their kiss, Scully hugged Mulder's chest and Mulder wrapped his arms around Scully's shoulders. He kissed the top of Scully's head and Scully spoke, "When did you know?"

"Know what?"

"When did you realize… about William?"

Mulder acknowledged what she meant by the question by nodding. "I knew it was him as soon as he left. It's only taken me this long to admit it because… I was stubborn. If the Will we saw were anyone else, he would have killed us without hesitation. However, our William would have done everything in his power to protect us. And that, is the truth."


	5. Time to Think

"Um…" said William out loud as he looked upon his peculiar audience. Unsure as to what to say, the thought of the first thing that came to mind and stuttered, "What is… uh, your current… mission?"

In a low and eerie unison, the crowd replied, "Build the Tower, change the world." Silence crept back into the room as Will desperately tried to think of a different question to ask.

"Who do you get your orders from?" projected Will's voice from across the room. The audience chanted back, "The chosen ones."

"I'm searching for a person named Leyla Harrison. She is like one of you. I need to know where she is. How do I find her?"

Gibson, Jeremiah and Will stood back in horror to see every person in the room begin rolling their eyes back into their skulls. All that could be seen across the room were the fluttering of eyelids, as if receiving information from a mysterious source they were all connected to. All of a sudden everyone's eyes looked forward and random people within the room started speaking.

"The person you are looking for has been looking for has been located," said a man.

"She is in the state of Virginia…" started one woman.

"…in a city called Warrenton," finished another man.

"She is finishing her mission," added a different woman.

"How do you know this?" said Will, persistent in his questioning.

Multiple people spoke up at the same time, "The Tower",

"It's the Tower",

"It's gives us energy",

"It gives us means",

"The Tower is built for our purposes",

"To share energy is to share information and purpose."

"What will you have us do next?" asked one of the Super Soldiers from the back of the room. The rest of the obedient audience continued looking forward at Will without turning to see who the source of the question was. Without batting an eye, they all stared at William awaiting his reply. William was at a loss for words. The only thing that he could think of the need to go home.

_~Families are important~_

"Families are important," said William repeating the words he was hearing in his head.

~_I can't do this alone. I need some time to think.~_

"I can't do this alone. I need some time to think." Will was giving into his own thoughts.

"Go home. I'll give you instructions later," ordered Will. The people in the room looked around at each other and then back up at William, confused by his orders. "Go. Leave! Now!"

The people in the room started shuffling out the exits of the building. Gibson looked up at William who appeared bewildered and confused. Will was staring at the floor and combing his hair with his fingers. Suspicious of what was happening, Gibson looked into the crowd and saw a glimpse of a man whose jacket hood was covering the top half of his face. The mysterious man smirked at Gibson and then murmured something as he disappeared with the departing crowd.

The room full of Super Soldiers turned around from their procession and went to attack William. William looked up at the crowd to discover one of the male Super Soldiers grabbing his forearm. The Super Soldier quickly placed Will into the submissive position, forcing him on his knees. Will could feel the man's vice grip forcing pressure onto his rotator cuff. Super Soldiers clamored over themselves to go after Will. Will's life was threatened and did the only thing that prevented the Super Soldier from ripping his arm off.

Will's eyes blackened. The eyes of the Super Soldier's touching Will were turning black as well. The vacant building began to tremble as the lights flickered. William gritted his teeth in pain as a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his right eye. Then a sudden burst of energy came from within William and from it propelled the men and women surrounding him backwards off their feet and onto the ground. A pregnant pause filled the room allowing the dust to settle.

A few seconds felt like an eternity when a howl of pain broke the silence. The remaining Super Soldiers, Gibson and Jeremiah Smith turned to the source of the sound. William could be seen in fetal position clutching his insides as if they were falling out. The chairs and pews were pushed aside, with people strung out along them. At the epicenter was William, whose insides were glowing. His body stretched and became contorted. Lines and wrinkles started appearing on Will's face, as if an invisible hand was drawing them with a pen. The glowing dimmed into nothing as Will laid there unconscious.

The Super Soldiers, realizing their own mortality, fled the room leaving the strewn bodies and stunned Gibson and Jeremiah by themselves. Gibson was trying to get over to Will from the back of the room as quickly as he could. While doing his best to leap over the bodies that were on the ground he noticed a few of them twitched. At first Gibson dismissed the observation, but then Jeremiah spoke, "Gibson, these people aren't dead."

Eyes all around them started fluttering open as if waking from a disturbing dream. People started sitting up from where they were on the ground and started looking around wildly. All of them appeared puzzled and struck with a bit of amnesia. With people all around them starting to stand up, the path for Gibson to Will became much easier. Gibson finally made his way toward William's position and was taken aback with the aged adult that was now before him. "Will?" called out Gibson.

William appeared to be at least fifty years old. His body thickened as it still lay on the ground. His hair had become more gray and his face more square and chiseled. Gibson lifted Will's head and upper body and cradled it into his lap and arms. "C'mon Will! I know this is you. Wake up for me buddy!" said Gibson as he tried shaking him hoping that it would somehow resuscitate him.

Will opened his baby blue eyes and slowly looked up at a relieved Gibson. Gibson's eyes began to moisten as William spoke, "Gibson, I think I want to go home." And on his last word, both eyes rolled upwards into the back of his head and he fell into unconsciousness again.


	6. Message

_Will came to, staring at the sunlight that was peeking through the branches of tall elm trees. He sat up to get a better view of his surroundings. The only thing he could see as he panned back and forth, were more trees and random fallen logs that had been taken over by moss. He stood up and peered down at his body and became relieved to see his eleven year old self. Curious about his current location, he proceeded to walk through the woods. As he passed a tree, he caught a glimpse of an old man in white robes playing a zither. William turned his head towards the direction of his glance to get a better look, but nothing was there. Suddenly, without seeing where he was going, he stumbled over an uprooted stump. He fell to his knees and when he looked up, he realized where he was._

"_Wait, I know this." These particular woods were familiar ground. He saw the path he would travel back and forth from town to home. _

"_Home!" gasped Will. These were the same woods from back home in Wyoming. Excitement flooded his body as he quickly and followed down the familiar path. Then he heard wheezing from somewhere close by him. Will stopped his run home to search for the source of the sound. He slowed his pace to thoroughly check his surrounding area. He was searching around trees and bushes, when out of nowhere a famished man came upon his presence. The man was of Asian Indian decent and was lying in fetal position before him. The man's eyes were sunken deep into his skull and the ribs to his ribcage were completely exposed from starvation. "Help me!" rasped the man, who was clearly struggling to breathe._

"_I'm… I'm sorry," replied Will frightened by the man's approach. Will turned around to find another ailing man reaching for his legs, pleading for help. And then another, and then another. All of a sudden the swarm of suffering men disappeared and on his path before him was the old Chinese man he thought he saw before. The old man had long white hair tied back with a band and a long white beard. He sat cross-legged before Will and asked, "What is the question you seek to ask?"_

"_I don't know," answered William. _

"_What is the question you seek to ask?" repeated the old Chinese man._

_William stood there with a sort of bemused combination of curiosity and fear. Then his flight instinct kicked in and he found himself running for his life. He tripped and stumbled down an unfamiliar hill and when he stopped tumbling he found himself in the middle of a suburban neighborhood street. Each house was identical to his home from Wyoming. _

_He walked down the street and tried the first house on his left. He walked up the same worn steps to the front door. He grabbed the door knob and tried to open the door, but the door wouldn't budge. He tried kicking the door and smashing the windows, but the house did not want to let him in. He turned around and quickly walked over to the next house and tried the door knob. He still had no success. Will looked up and saw a single male Super Soldier standing outside his house in the middle of the street. The Super Soldier did not move or even flinch as Will walked down the steps of the locked house._

_Will started running from house to house trying all the door knobs, the Super Soldier started walking at a fast pace to catch up with him. The long neighborhood road seemed to have an infinite amount of houses to try and as Will tried a new house to open, more and more Super Soldiers gathered and gave chase to William. Will felt like he was running for his life again, trying to find refuge in one of these houses. The hoard of Super Soldiers were within arms-reach of William when the sound of the zither, caused them all to disappear. Will turned around to find the old Asian man with long white hair sitting on his porch cross-legged on the ground with the zither in front of him._

"_Who are you?" asked Will._

"_Is that the question you seek to ask?" replied the old man not looking at him._

"_You feel strangely familiar, yet I've never seen you before in my life."_

"_Ask me THE question, and this door will open up to you."_

"_What?" questioned Will, "I don't understand."_

_The old man continued playing on his zither. The melody resonated feelings of tranquility and strength, with it's soft beginnings and frequent pauses. The piece ended phrases on strong grounded chords. " My name is W__ǒ__ Q__í. Come to me again when you are ready."_

"_Ready for what?"_

* * *

Will laid unconscious in Gibson's arms as Jeremiah Smith made his way over. The people around them who appeared to have woken up from a dreadful slumber, were stirring around the disturbed area and were murmuring amongst themselves. Nobody seemed to have known each other.

"Um, excuse me," questioned the gentleman who had once grabbed Will by the arm, "but where are we?"

Jeremiah walked over to the man who was extremely disoriented. The man flinched because he frightened of the uncertainty of what would happen to him next. "Relax," calmed Jeremiah, "What's your name?"

"Mmm, ma, my name is…" the man stuttered as he tried to recollect who he was, "…Joe. My name is Joseph Carlyle Zedinski."

"Well Joe," said Jeremiah as he placed a reassuring hand on Joe's shoulder, "my name is Jeremiah Smith, and I want to help you. Now don't be alarmed, I want to check your vitals."

Joe held out his right hand palm side up toward Jeremiah who gently held it within his own. Jeremiah then cupped his right hand around Joe's neck and closed his eyes. Simultaneously, Joe closed his as well. Joe and Jeremiah stood there in a sort of calm meditative state for a moment, when within a few seconds they both opened their eyes. "Feel better?" asked Jeremiah.

"Yeah," replied Joe, "Yeah, I do."

Jeremiah turned to Gibson who heard his thoughts. In one brief second, Gibson heard Jeremiah communicate to Gibson, ~_William is the most interesting Alien I've come across. This man's body is cured of being a Super Soldier~_

"What did you do?" asked Gibson out loud.

"I checked to see if this _man_, is well, a healthy man."

"And so there's no…" inquired Gibson as he was gesturing toward the back of Joe's neck.

"…nothing wrong. Or, from what I could see. Well, perhaps a bit of amnesia, but I think we can get them on the right track." _~The right track heading home~_

"By the looks of it, I don't think any of these people remember where they live."

"I remember where I live…" interrupted Joe. All eyes had turned to Joe as if a miracle was happening before their eyes. Gibson gave a look towards Jeremiah expressing, "what did you do?"

_~Will may be able to heal bodies. I don't think he knows how to heal minds yet~_

* * *

DOGGETT RESIDENCE

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 3:46 P.M.

"…_Dry spells in the farming market are raising the costs of most produce_," murmured the television screen. Both Mulder and Reyes sat on the couch, eyes glued to the screen.

"…_This just in, people are coming in with reports of strange edifices being built. To what purpose, no one really knows, here's a video clip that a local from Nebraska had taken with his cell phone. Fair warning, what you are about to see may not be appropriate for younger individuals…"_

"_Dude, do you have it?"_ One voice could be heard in the background. The video was showing darkness all around, as if they were in the middle of the woods at night.

"_I got it man, I got it. Oh god, what the hell is that thing?_" said the young man taking the footage. The video focused on a few men standing in front of a tower that appeared to be gaining energy and strength. Purplish electric bolts were seen bouncing along the tower's surface. One of the men near the Tower turned and looked directly into the camera.

"That's… _Is that_… Will?" interrupted Mulder. Reyes sat still trying to focus on the images before them.

"They see us. Dude, THEY SEE US! RUN!" said the camera man's comrade. The video became blurry, moving back and forth quickly. All that could be heard was the panting of two young men, indicating that they were running for their lives. A subtle but obvious buzzing could be heard in the background.

"Quick! Email the video. EMAIL THE VIDEO!" said the comrade.

"What the hell are bees doing out at night? Ouch, sh-" said the camera man in between intermitted breaths. Then all of a sudden the camera stops moving and everything could be seen from the ground. As soon as the phone fell, a curling scream could be heard coming from the camera man. Fierce buzzing had swarming the phone. Then there was silence.

A few moments later, foot steps could be heard scuffling slowly toward the phone. The phone slowly lifted up to barely make out the body of a young man lying on the ground. An eerie silence was all that could be heard from the video and then the clip ended.

"…_Well, that's all we've got of the video… and this just in… the parents of the two boys featured in this video, have just given us consent to release their names. John Michaels and Leonard Birchfield are reported missing. If you have any information in regards to this incident or to the whereabouts of these two boys, please call the number at the bottom of the screen…"_

"Monica," said Mulder turning toward Reyes, "you better call your lovely husband. I have a feeling that this video is going to involve him sometime soon."


	7. Unexpected

DOGGETT RESIDENCE

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 3:57 P.M.

"Who pressed the send button on that phone?" questioned Reyes out loud as she reached for her phone and dialed Doggett's cell.

"I think it was William, only… that's not the William we know," replied Mulder. Then Mulder turned to look Reyes in the eye. An eerie silence fell between them. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"No. No, that's impossible. You don't think William has multiple clones out there, do you?"

"I recognized that same look of the older gentleman who kidnapped William in Leyla Harrison's office the night she disappeared. He looked like he could have been related to Will, but there was just something about him that was so… off."

Reyes pondered the thought for the moment, her cell phone up against her ear, when John Doggett finally answered.

"Hey, John. Have you turned to the news channel? Yeah. Mmhm. Us too. Right. Really? Oh my god," said Reyes, who quickly switched her cell to speakerphone. You can hear Doggett's office phone continuously ring in the background on his end of the phone call.

"…I've been getting swamped with phone calls because all of our operators have gone missing. Most of them ill, I'm not quite sure with what exactly, but it seems to be catching. I saw a fellow officer just earlier today collapse as he was getting off the elevator. I went to check his vitals and saw how his eyes were completely black. It was the craziest thing. As soon as I saw the black in the young man's eyes, a bunch of other officers quickly escorted him away saying that it was his liver failing, causing his eyes to discolor. Now I'm no optometrist, but I know for a fact that what I saw was not jaundice. You know, I'm starting to get a bad feeling about all of this."

"Doggett," interrupted Mulder, "it's Mulder, Reyes has us on speakerphone in your living room. Describe to us again what the officer's eyes looked like?"

"Oh, yeah, his entire eyeball was black, not just the pupil or the iris. The strangest thing about it, was that the black coloration seemed to be swimming or swirling." Silence filled the room for a moment before Doggett continued, "Mulder, this sounds like the Alien virus you described in an old X-File case."

* * *

KWIK-N-GO SUPERMARKET

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012 4:14 P.M.

Scully threw a few items into her basket as she perused down the aisles. She approached the small register to pay for her items when she noticed how hypnotized her cashier was by what was showing on the television screen. Curious to see what the fuss was about, she too caught what was too good to miss. It was a cell phone video of two boys documenting an electrified Tower and then them running through the woods. "Oh my god…" said Scully as her mouth gaped in disbelief.

"Well, I think it's a fake," said Scully's cashier. Scully turned her gaze away from the television screen to her cashier. The older lady, whose name was Joanne based from her nametag, was wearing a scowl on her face.

"What do you mean?" asked Scully.

"With this economy and kids with their digital media, I wouldn't be surprised if those two boys showed up out of the blue, performing this stunt just to gain a few bucks. People are bound to do anything to get money quickly," said Joanne as she scanned the remaining items and placed them into a paper bag for Scully. "Will that be all ma'am?"

"Uh, yes," said Scully. As Scully retrieved her wallet, an old homeless man came walking into the convenience store.

"Oh no, Mr. Jerry. Not this time. You can't come into this store again. You better leave or I'm calling the police," said Joanne turning towards Mr. Jerry doing her best to shoo him away. Mr. Jerry came into the air conditioned building and collapsed on the floor before them.

On instinct, Scully rushed over to the man to aide Mr. Jerry. "Step back from him. I'm a doctor. Give him space. Someone call 9-1-1, this man needs emergency medical care…" Scully turned the man over onto his backside to check his pulse and noticed Mr. Jerry's black swirling eyes. Scully gasped as she fell backwards in horror, realizing the true nature of this man's condition.

* * *

GEORGE WASHINGTON HOSPITAL

5:12 P.M.

The EMS truck doors flew open as the EMS workers, Mr. Jerry, and Scully burst forth into the hospital. Scully, having accompanied Mr. Jerry in the EMS truck to the hospital, tried to catch up with the workers and attending physicians.

"Geez, this is the tenth one today," said the attending physician after looking at Mr. Jerry's eyes. "Who are you?" he asked looking at Scully.

"My name is Dr. Dana Scully. I am a medical doctor and I was there when this man fell, and I'm telling you, you have to submerge this man into ice water. His body temperature will soon rise and… and…"

"And what?"

Scully immediately stopped in her tracks and gave up on the jog as she allowed the men to continue with Mr. Jerry down the hall and into the quarantined area. When the party had long passed her and they were beyond her sight, Scully finished sardonically, "… and gestate an alien that will soon pop out of his body."

The exasperated words felt fake and unbelievable when they left her mouth. She was getting too old for this; too tired for this. Scully couldn't believe that she was entering the same conspiracy paranoia that had made her depart this country to begin with. But where could she run to this time? Now that this was happening, it was bound to happen no matter where her location was. Scully couldn't believe or admit that this was the beginning of the end. And at the moment, she felt powerless to do anything about her current situation. Right when she was deep in thought, a doctor in a white coat approached her.

"Dana? Dana Scully, is it really you?" inquired the Hispanic woman.

Scully turned around to find a face that was from a distant memory.

"I'm Maria Rivarez. You probably don't remember me from med school, but we had –"

" –interned together," finished Scully. Memories from thirty years ago were flooding back. "Yeah, wow. Well it certainly has been a _really_ long time." Distracted and helpless, Scully allowed the conversation to continue.

"Well, I could never forget that red hair of yours. How are you?"

"Well," hesitated Scully as she began to choose her next words carefully. The high anxiety of what just happened ten minutes ago, realizing the fate the world and then the serendipitous encounter with an old colleague from her early med school days had certainly caught her breath. "I have been better," Scully replied.

"Why? What's wrong? I had heard you had decided to become a law enforcer," said Maria, genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine," lied Scully, trying not to give away that she was really panicking on the inside, "and, I did. I had worked for the FBI for about nine years, but then, um… family happened."

"Wow. That's a big change. I'm sure you're medical skills came into handy, right?"

Dana sighed as she reflected upon her years working at the X-Files and all the bodies she had dissected, "I had certainly performed a lot of autopsies. So I can safely say that I've seen it all."

The two ladies stood there examining one another, as Maria kept on with her inquiry.

"Oh, so are you married? Do you have any kids?"

Dana sheepishly sucked in her bottom lip and answered truthfully, "No. I'm not married, and well… it's kind of a long story."

"I see… well, what are you doing in town? Where are you working now?" asked Maria curiously.

"Currently, I'm unemployed. More recently, I had worked as a pediatrician with a focus in Oncology for a while, but um… a good friend of mine had come in here a few weeks ago and had her baby, so… I've been helping her out while she's been on maternity leave."

"Really? Here…," said Maria as she reached into her breast pocket and pulled out a card, "it's my business card. I specialize in Oncology too. How about you give me a call and we'll get together sometime, hmm? And send me an email of your resume. I'm sure this hospital could use all the help it can get, especially from highly experienced people like yourself."

"Ok, great. Thank you." Dana could feel her face flush a little.

"And Dana…" said Maria as she was walking away. Scully looked up at Maria. "…it was really nice bumping into you today."

Scully grinned to herself as she looked down at Maria's business card. As soon as she thought about her good fortune and opportunity, she immediately thought about how she got to this point and how weird and unexpected her day had been. Scully began to sulk again with anxiety.


	8. Understanding and Planning

SEPTEMBER 15th, 2012

10:26 A.M.

Will stirred on the couch, coming into consciousness. Realizing he was awake, he tried desperately to imagine that he was waking up in his home in Wyoming. He slowly opened his eyes to a place that was most unfamiliar, and to his disappointment it was someone's apartment. Will struggled for a bit as he sat up on the couch. The sun's light was streaming in through the sliding glass doors practically blinding him. He turned his head away and caught his reflection in a body length mirror that was hanging on a wall beside the couch. Will slowly got up and walked over to the reflection not recognizing himself.

"He's awake!" exclaimed Gibson rushing over to William. Gibson looked at Will's facial expression. It was a mixture of disgust and incredible sadness.

_~I look like him. Like Liam~_ Will thought to himself. Gibson heard his thought.

_~Well… yeah. But, don't think of it that way~ _thought Gibson as he too was looking alongside William at his reflection. _~Think of how you're now catching a true glimpse of what you'll look like when you 60~_

"60!" shouted Will out loud turning to look at Gibson in the face. "You think I look 60?"

"Well, you certainly have enough grey hairs on you to prove it. Hey, do you think you can get away with senior citizen discounts?"

Will jokingly punched Gibson in the shoulder. He continued looking at himself seriously into the mirror. "Where are we?" asked William out loud.

"You're at my apartment," said Jeremiah Smith, who stood just outside of the mirror's reflection. Jeremiah Smith grabbed a newspaper and went ahead and sat on the abandoned couch. "We're in Melville, New York in case you were wondering."

"Can we please take this mirror down?" asked William.

"Why?" Jeremiah said.

"Because it reminds me of death. It reminds me of a person who did bad things and what I must do."

"And what must you do?" continued Jeremiah.

"I've got to find the Source. It's what Liam wanted me to do."

"Liam is your clone, right?" inquired Jeremiah. Will turned around to look at Jeremiah, giving a confused look. He never recalled telling him anything about Liam to Jeremiah.

"He knows about Liam and our abilities. I filled him in on pretty much everything up to this point," replied Gibson. Will looked at Gibson incredulously.

Gibson continued defending himself by shrugging his shoulders and saying, "What? You were unconscious. We had to talk about something while you were asleep. We had no idea when you were going to wake up, and by the way, you have the most interesting dreams."

"Can you see what's in people's dreams while they're dreaming?" asked Will, stunned by his prowess.

"Well, sort of. I just hear voices, not images. It's kind of like listening to the radio. If I decide to tune into it, my abilities amplify the sound. Like, right now, I hear everything; our neighbors downstairs, and the couple that's just down the block from us drinking coffee. But at the moment it's like white noise, until I choose to acknowledge it. You know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah I do. I hear them too now that you've mentioned it. There's so much to focus on," replied Will.

"Well don't focus on it too much. You'll go nuts and end up with a massive headache," answered Gibson. "Trust me. I've got loads of experience in this ability."

"Don't you see?" pointed out Jeremiah.

"See what?" responded Will.

"You've got so much potential, and it's a shame that you don't see how invincible you really are. Perhaps this is a good thing. In all actuality, you're more powerful than the both of us," Jeremiah gestured toward himself and Gibson, "combined. Though, I suppose you haven't had much practice in any of your abilities, have you?"

"Not really, but mostly because it's frightened me ever since I discovered I had these abilities."

"Well, I point this out because the Super Soldiers that had engulfed your body had been cured of what made them alien when you did your..." Jeremiah struggled to find the words to describe what he saw back in that abandoned church building.

"…Morph Burst," finished Gibson.

"You make me sound like a Power Ranger," replied Will.

"That's exactly what we saw you do. There was a burst of energy that had everyone, including you, change into something else."

"Then why not 'Change Burst'?" countered Will.

""Morph Burst' just flows better," answered Gibson.

"Anyways," interrupted Jeremiah, "those people that were once Super Soldiers weren't a hundred percent cured. Don't get me wrong, I was most impressed with what I saw, I just believe that you should focus on truly mastering your abilities before you place yourself in danger again." Jeremiah took another sip of coffee before he continued, "Um, you had mentioned that your clone, Liam, had wanted you to find this 'Source'? What must you do?"

"I think it has something to deal with this dream that I just had. I have to ask this question that will supposedly unlock a certain power when answered, but I don't even know what I should ask." William sighed as he too sat on the couch next to Jeremiah.

"Maybe you should have this _Woah-Shee_ guy give you some parameters, so it can filter down the kind of question to ask. Like, 'Please tell me what my question should be about' or 'Please guide me to ask the right question'. Address anything to him in statements or commands so that you don't accidentally ask a question."

"That's actually a brilliant suggestion, Gibson," remarked Jeremiah.

"Thanks. Hey, that was a _genuine_ compliment!" Gibson replied.

William gave Gibson a surprised look. "Wait, you seriously heard the guy's name in my dream, my subconscious?"

"Well, yeah, and the fact that you did actually murmur it out loud in your sleep. That helped. Did you know that when you talk in your head, you still sound like your eleven year old self? It's the strangest thing," stated Gibson. "I guess it still means that you still view yourself as that age."

_~Interesting~ _All three of them thought at the same time. William's stomach began to gurgle.

"Speaking of questions, Is there anything to eat here? I am starving," implored Will.

Jeremiah grinned as he replied, "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

Jeremiah and Gibson stood in the kitchen and stared at Will while he devoured a batch of pancakes, half a box of cereal and three scrambled eggs by himself.

_~A bottomless pit~ _remarked Gibson. "I guess we shouldn't be surprised that you're eating so much. I mean, you have been out for a few days, and… you are Man-Boy now."

"What day… is it?" asked Will in between bites.

"Saturday, September 15th," stated Jeremiah. "So," Jeremiah began as he poured more orange juice into Will's empty glass, "we should talk about our plans to find your friend."

"_We_? So you're still interested in being part of our travels?" said Will.

"Well, we've been discussing it and I think we should not go into Warrenton, Virginia _guns-a-blazing_ if you know what I mean. I believe that we should do a little bit of reconnaissance in that area and actually locate where she is. Then we can decide what to do next from there," suggested Gibson.

"And how do you suggest doing that?" said Jeremiah. Will paused his eating and replied, "…my spaceship."

"The _ship_? No, I think we need to be a little more incognito," disagreed Jeremiah.

"Well, I've mastered the beaming to and from the ship, and not too long ago we've established that it's me that the Super Soldiers are attracted to and not the ship, _and_… it's a lot quicker to travel. To be honest, I haven't fully understood all the mechanics on the craft, so I'm sure you would be most beneficial assisting me whilst aboard the ship. So whaddya say?"

The proposition seemed very enticing, and to William, reading Jeremiah's mind was more challenging than reading any other person's thoughts. Since Jeremiah's facial expressions were often times neutral, it made understanding him most difficult and his personality very elusive and mysterious. Jeremiah replied ambivalently, "It has been a while since the last time I was on one of those ships, and it wasn't in the most pleasant of circumstances. The technology would have most likely evolved since then."

"Are you saying that you're going to do it?"

"I'm saying that I will help you, but only because there's something about you, William Scully, that I find most fascinating, and I can't put my finger on what it is exactly."


	9. Inaction and Action

_An eleven year old William sat cross-legged at the end of the suburban street looking down the rows of the replicate houses. He closed his eyes only for a brief moment and opened them to find Wo Qi sitting across from him. They stared at each other curiously, as if waiting for one or the other to respond. _

"_Please, help me figure out the kind of question in which you wish to hear me ask."_

_Wo Qi's hands laid calmly on his lap, each hand resting on each leg. His posture exuded confidence, complacency, and relaxation, but never aggression nor submission. _

"_A farmer wants to produce enough apples to support his family. He could ask the Appleseed directly, 'How do you grow?' or he can take the time to observe the process and learn for himself. Through that time and experience he can figure out how to reproduce more apple trees, and therefore become the better farmer. Know the root of your problem, because in order to know which question to ask, one must know which question will bear the most fruit." said Wo Qi._

_~…Will…~_

"_Wait! I'm trying to understand," pleaded Will. He felt his consciousness being pulled in a different direction._

_~…William…~_

* * *

"Hey Will!" said Gibson as he tried to wake Will. "Dude, you were totally sleeping."

"…Wha?" murmured Will. He opened his eyes to find a very disgruntled Jeremiah Smith staring back at him.

"You know," Jeremiah started, "when I said that you should close your eyes, I never meant that you should actually _fall asleep_!"

"Um…," responded Will scratching his head, "Yeah. Sorry. What exactly were we working on again?"

"You guys were working on your shape-shifting abilities," input Gibson.

"Evidently," said Jeremiah dryly, "you put too much emotional attachment to the people whom you try to emulate. It's too much wasted and misdirected energy."

"So we tried to get you to relax, and you conked out on us." explained Gibson.

"These emotions… must be a human trait," said Jeremiah.

"What do you mean?" asked Will, confused by the implication.

"Somewhere along the course of your evolution, emotions must have been a favorable trait necessary for the survival of our species. But you must understand, the present situation in which we find ourselves does not call for those kinds of attributes."

"In English please?" said Gibson still confused. Will translated, "He's basically saying that I get too emotional."

"Yes, and our kind do not react to emotions on the same level as you. In fact, our motives are quite mechanical; scientific. And will, deliberately and without hesitation, extinguish as well as create life to the way we see fit. I'll admit, our inability to empathize has been our downfall as a species, however it could also be to the possible domination of your species. Therefore, we must act accordingly and be careful where we decide to focus our energies. And you," Jeremiah continued as he looked into William, "must become the master of oneself."

"You're afraid…" pointed out Gibson. William could sense that same feeling within Jeremiah as well. "What are you afraid of?"

"I'm afraid that one day… in the peak of emotional intensity…" Jeremiah seemed to hesitate in his response, "your abilities will somehow become ineffective at a critical moment in your life. I fear the moment when you realize your power and become destructive with it. You must find the yin and yang to yourself first, the balance of who you are; the good and the bad."

"And do you think I'll turn bad?" asked Will in a concerned voice.

"I think that you are about as unpredictable as the wind. And unlike your brethren, who are orderly, direct and decisive, you have emotions; which makes you entropic. I fear for the reasoning behind your decision because either way, your decision will most likely be emotionally based. And I'd hate to be your enemy when that day comes."

* * *

GEORGE WASHINGTON HOSPITAL

SEPTEMBER 17th, 2012

10:26 A.M.

Scully sat in the lobby waiting for the interview she had scheduled for 10:30 this morning. She wondered if meeting Maria Rivarez last night had been a good decision. Scully could hear Mulder's voice in her head from earlier this morning, "_…If you decide to do this, you'll have access again to what you love to do. Besides, you'll be that much closer to understanding where these people with the virus have gone to…"_

It was a win-win situation. Scully figured, if she didn't get the job she'd be in the safety and confines of the people she trusted. But if she got the job, it could mean falling down inside the rabbit-hole again…

"…Dana Scully," called out the receptionist, disrupting Scully's thoughts. She looked up at the young female receptionist who approached her. "Dr. Morgan is ready to see you now."

Scully took a deep breath and exhaled as she stood up from her chair. She followed the receptionist inside Dr. Morgan's office and was immediately greeted with a smile and a handshake from a balding grey-haired man. "Dr. Scully, I'm Dr. Stan Morgan Head Administrator of George Washington Hospital. Welcome! Please have a seat."

Scully sat down in the chair before her as the receptionist left the room. Dr. Morgan proceeded around his large desk and had a seat opening up a file or two. "How are you? I hope you didn't have to wait too long."

"No, um. I'm just glad to be here."

"Maria Rivarez spoke very highly of you and lord knows we can definitely use your experience. Especially since we have a lot of high government officials use our facilities. I see based off of your resume that you have a little bit of experience in both worlds. Let's see," he looked down at the documents before him, "You've worked at the FBI for almost ten years. With a medical degree, what made you decide to go work for the FBI? And what made you decide to return to medicine after such a long stint in law enforcement?"

Without hesitation, Scully inhaled and responded, "I had wanted to do something different. My father was the one who encouraged me to get a degree in medicine. So upon getting certified in the Federal Bureau, they immediately put me to work in a department that had needed my recent medical and scientific background to solve… unique cases."

"I see… it says here, the X-Files."

"Yes sir. That was my department of focus."

"And why did you leave?"

Scully was hoping to not have to answer the question, but in her brief and simple response she said, "For family reasons."

"Okay." Dr. Morgan had paused briefly as if expecting Scully to have explained her statement further, but since she remained silent he decided to continue on with the interview. He shuffled through a few papers before responding, "Um… It says here that you had gone back into the medical field and had worked at Our Lady of Sorrows Hospital up in Canada. It says that you left their facilities most recently and abruptly. Could you explain your reasoning for doing so?"

"I had a family emergency back in the states that had required my family to move suddenly." Scully's instincts suddenly kicked in. She started feeling like this interview was turning into an interrogation. The idea made her more anxious, and to compensate, she sat straight up in her chair and kept her hands still on her knees. She suddenly recalled the interrogation techniques in her training.

"Hmm, I'm sensing a pattern here… Family reasons, Family emergencies… I see that you're deeply motivated by your family; which I find very admirable. Forgive me for the intrusion and the informality, I understand that this is an interview and all, but I am a doctor first. So let's be frank, is everything ok at home? I mean, I'm only looking out for your welfare, especially if I want to hire you. I want to make sure everything's alright between you and your family, because if you're not okay, then the hospital as a whole…"

"Look Dr. Morgan, if you are questioning my reliability then I want to also point out the list of references I have on my resume. Each reference will say similarly of my history and dedication to each of the two albeit different career fields. I'm very serious about my craft, and my record speaks for itself on the amount of cases I've solved during that time."

"Look," Dr. Morgan began with a sigh, showing signs of submission. "I understand. I'm on your side. I think we got off on the wrong foot. I never meant to offend you, and I'm sorry if I did. I do want to hire you. But in this hospital, I like to have a clear understanding of each person who works here, and be able to trust them implicitly. And idealistically, they in turn should reciprocate the same favor. That's all I ask… trust."

Dr. Morgan looked at her, like how her father use to when she was a little girl, with his one eyebrow raised in scrutiny. The words "I trust you" stuck in her throat, and all she could do was look him straight in the eye and nod up and down.

"Good! Then it's settled. Since I understand how close you are to your family, I'm hiring you on a temporary… need-to-fill-in basis. Currently, with this new epidemic that's been occurring it's taken up the majority of my staff and, to put it simply, I need more qualified experienced doctors. The hours may be crazy, but you already know that. Here is your starting salary. Is this okay with you?"

Dr. Morgan picked up a slip of paper and handed it over to Scully. Scully looked over at the six-figured number and in surprise raised her own eyebrows in shock. She had almost forgotten how much more the doctors were paid in the United States.

* * *

SMITH RESIDENCE

MELVILLE, NEW YORK

3:48 P.M.

"I'm done rehearsing," stated William. "We know where we need to go. We started on this venture in the first place to find Leyla Harrison, and we know where she is. The Intel we've got is fresh and if we sit on our hands then the trail to find her will run cold."

Gibson and Will looked at Jeremiah as if looking for confirmation.

"It appears that you both have already made your decision," replied Jeremiah ambivalently.

Gibson shrugged his shoulders and said, "Well… there are some aspects of the ship that we're still unfamiliar with and could use your expertise."

"And you would be an asset to have on board." Both Will and Gibson waited with bated breath for Jeremiah's response. Smith inhaled and exhaled, which gave off the impression that he had finally made a decision.

"What's your plan?"

"Well first, we board the ship and from there I can explain the rest. You in?" said Will placing his left hand in the center of their group. Gibson stood up next to Will and placed his hand on top of his. Jeremiah placed his hand on top of Gibson's and immediately they were surrounded by a fluorescent glow and suddenly transported to the spaceship.


	10. Observation

"So, I've always wondered," started Gibson as he and Jeremiah were patrolling the many ominous decks and observatories within the spacecraft, "how is it that you guys don't shape-shift into… I don't know, a mythical creature…say a dragon?"

"Would you like me to shape-shift into a dragon?"

"No, just… if you wanted to, could you?" Both Gibson and Jeremiah had both reached what appeared to be the navigational room by the time he finished his question. Will was sitting in a reclined chair and had both of his hands hovering over two glowing gelatinous screen that were conveniently placed towards the ends of the arm rests.

"This human form in which you see is actually not my true form. I am actually what you call 'alien' after all."

"Oh, well… I knew that. I was just curious."

"To answer your question," said Jeremiah as he sat in a similar seat to Will directly across from him, "no." Jeremiah's chair seemed to intuitively know of his presence and reacted by conforming to his physical body. The clinking and whirring stretched the arm chairs and the padding inflated and deflated in certain areas.

"Yeah, why do you stay in human form when it is just us in the room?" asked Will as he focused on the task before him. Multiple holographic three dimensional screens were floating in between the triumvirate of chairs.

"I suppose it's because I enjoy being a creature of habit." And for the first time, Jeremiah smiled over the irony of the human pun. He looked over at William and noticed how quickly he was able to understand the Ship's system. "You seem to know how to run the ship perfectly on your own. I don't see how my assistance could help you."

"Truthfully," Will replied, "I just wanted you to come along. I'd be a fool to think I could do this on my own." He smiled and took a breath before continuing, "When I was on my own on this ship, it dawned on me how I was scared of being alone. After destroying my first clone, I forced myself to figure out in just a few hours how easy it was to control the ship. Without speaking a word, I just think my intentions and the ship automatically responds to it. It's like talking to someone."

"Aw, so I take it, you found a new friend," jested Gibson.

"Not really. This is still just a machine."

"What's the difference?"

"People have empathy."

Gibson sat down on a reclining chair looking at William. He could see Will's eyes moving frantically left to right as if reading a phantom computer screen quickly. Will moved his fingers up and down on the gelatinous control panel that was placed at the very end of his arm chair. Will closed his eyes as he pictured an image of Virginia. When he opened them, a faux map of the world sprung up before his eyes and like looking on Google Maps zeroed in on the state of Virginia. Descriptions were automatically translating from Alien hieroglyphics to English and he could see the towns and cities. He perused the state until he finally spotted Warrenton.

"So I take that this entire ship is made up of some sort of Biotechnology…," asked Gibson. But before Jeremiah was able to respond, Will answered, "This whole ship is made of this sentient metal material." Will blinked as he sat up in his chair and looked over at Jeremiah. "I can tell. I mean… I can feel it. These Nanites within me has got to be something to do with it. It's difficult to explain. It's a bizarre connection. Do you know anything about these Nanites?"

Jeremiah added, "All I know is that this ship's material is the very same that has come from our original home planet. I am not fully aware what our scientific kindred have been up to, in regards to these Nanites. This is new information to me. Though, I would not be surprised if it is a result of our experimentation. The fuel in this ship is also the same material in which this ship is made of. That I do know for a fact. However rich this fuel is, it is also very volatile and extremely limited. It's been one of the biggest reasons for our adaptation to Earth."

"If this ship is made out of explosive fuel, BIG QUESTION: why haven't we blown up yet?" questioned Gibson.

"Our technicians have mastered the malleability of this material, and have therefore found means in which it is safe for us to be in."

"So… if it's so safe and wonderful and _malleable_," Gibson said sarcastically, "… could you, eat it too?"

William rolled his eyes over the question. "Really?"

"I suppose since it's in all the technology we use and its touched the surface in which our food is contained in, then theoretically, yes. But that would be likened to asking if you eat the metal from the forks in which you use to eat your food with. "

"But still, if it's good enough to eat off of, couldn't some of it accidentally, you know, be swallowed? I mean we don't exactly eat off of our gasoline tanks."

"This ships' fuel and petroleum-derived liquid in which you call _gas_ are two different things…"

"Ok…ok…," Will was all too eager to interrupt their banter. He could hear Gibson say in his head, ~_You are what you eat, is all I'm saying~_

"We're going to be arriving in Warrenton, Virginia in a few minutes, so let me review the game plan…"

* * *

GEORGE WASHINGTON HOSPITAL

SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2012 2:13 A.M.

Scully flipped through the charts of one of her patients as she walked into the Children's Ward. She looked up as she smiled at one of her patients who was smiling back at her from her hospital bed.

"Hi Dottie," Scully said curiously to the little girl.

"Hi Dr. Scully," said Dottie as she took her little finger and scratched her temple bashfully. The little beanie hat she was wearing was evidently irritating her scalp. She continued fussing with her doll as Scully walked over and sat next to her on her bedside. "What are you doing up?" Scully continued.

Dottie frowned momentarily as she placed a hand on her stomach, "My tummy's been hurting."

"Well, sweetheart, that's the chemo-"

"-chemo therapy, I know," interrupted Dottie, "Suzie doesn't like it." Dottie looked down on her doll.

"Yeah, but Suzie doesn't have a cool beanie." Scully set the medical chart in the slot at the end of her bed and then looked over at Dottie's rosy cheeks. Scully took the backside of her hand and placed it against Dottie's moist cheek. "Dottie, you're warm and you're…" she slowly lifted up Dottie's beanie before taking it completely off revealing Dottie's bald head, "…sweating."

"I know, my mommy made it for me."

"Oh."

"I didn't want to hurt her feelings. She worked really hard on it."

"You don't have to wear it when she's not here."

"I know, it's just, whenever I feel bad and I miss her and she's not here…"

"It's ok honey. I understand. Let me go get some medicine so your tummy doesn't hurt as much. That way you can get some sleep, ok?"

Dottie grinned and nodded as Scully got up and left the Children's Ward. As she headed toward the nurses' lounge to place a medicinal order, she looked up and saw a familiar face. It was Mr. Jerry. His face was clean-shaved and he appeared to be in the best shape of his life. Mr. Jerry turned his head and their eyes both met.

"Mr. Jerry? Hey! WAIT!" exclaimed Scully as she ran after Mr. Jerry. Mr. Jerry turned and walked calmly away from Scully and out the exit door. All of a sudden, a couple of on call nurses grabbed a hold of Scully, pulling her down. She tried to scream, but before she could take her breath a cloth soaked in anesthesia covered her mouth and stifled her scream, rendering her unconscious.

Unbeknownst to the nurses who had Scully, a little girl had witnessed the entire event and a dropped Suzie doll laid silently by itself around the corner from the Children's Ward.


	11. The Proposition

SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2012 5:22 P.M.

"_I'm sorry, she has not showed up for work today," _said the nurse on the other end of the line.

"What are you talking about? She called me from this exact number over twelve hours ago!" exclaimed Mulder from his cell phone.

"_I'm sorry sir, she did not check in for her shift. She's been missing all day."_

"Thanks," said Mulder as he ended the call angrily, "for nothing."

Mulder stood in the X-Files office while he took the phone call. Both Reyes and Doggett sat at their respectable desks flipping through documents and reports, while listening to Mulder's disconcerting conversation.

"Thanks for doing this Jennifer…" said Reyes.

"_Jennifer_?" retorted Doggett, Reyes held a finger out to Doggett for his sarcastic inflection. Doggett continued under mumbled breath, "You might as well hand her over to the Aliens since she herself has got to be part alien."

"I owe you one. I'll pick Mia up tomorrow evening," said Reyes as she hung up her cell phone. She turned to look more directly at Doggett and continued, "I trust Jennifer with my life. She was the only person who assisted me during my days in the FBI _before _you." She looked over at Mulder, "So… no one knows where she is?"

Mulder frowned and shook his head in response. Doggett furrowed his eyebrows out of concern for Mulder and worry for Scully. He then looked back down at the pieces of parchment that were placed before him and caught a name that seemed to stand out. Doggett could have sworn there was a connection to a name he had heard before.

"Something's wrong. She would have called or texted me by now. I've got to head to that hospital and retrace her last steps. I mean it's a hospital, there's too many people to _not_ have seen her."

Mulder was heading out the door when Doggett halted him with a question, "Hey Mulder! Who was that person that Scully was chasing after a while back? I mean, at the grocery store."

"There wasn't a full name, but the locals at the grocery store referred to him as 'Mr. Jerry'. But we already tried to find out more about this guy. Apparently, he's been a drifter for quite some time with possible mental deficiencies. That was all."

"Gerald Feinhart, born August 23rd, 1968, abducted twenty years ago. Air Force Captain. You wrote this file yourself, actually. Do you think this is the same Jerry that Scully saw?" Doggett turned the case file over for Mulder to see, the picture of the person of interest exposed.

"I know it's a weak assumption, and it could be a mere coincidence. In fact, nevermind…"Doggett took the file away from Mulder mid-sentence and tossed it on the other X-Files that sat in a pile at the corner of his desk.

"Wait a minute," interrupted Reyes. She took the Feinhart file and opened it to look at the picture of Mr. Feinhart. She then pulled out her cell phone and took a digital photo of Mr. Feinhart with her smart phone. Both Mulder and Doggett looked upon Reyes in confusion. "We can show this picture to the cashiers at the Kwik-n-Go Supermarket and see if anybody recognizes him, just to be sure. It couldn't hurt to be positive. Mulder, give us a call if you have any leads to the whereabouts of Scully at the hospital. John and I are going to go validate this picture of this supposed Mr. Jerry."

* * *

WARRENTON, VIRGINIA

William sat down at a secluded booth in what appeared to be an abandoned diner. Not many people were in the diner, except for Jeremiah and himself both in disguise. Will and Gibson both radioed each other's thoughts from far away. Gibson sat in the outdoor café area keeping look out for anything suspicious.

_~Anything yet?~_

_~Nothing yet, Will. Again, are you completely sure about this?~_

_~I'm sure. It's going to work. They're going to come~_

Jeremiah camouflaged himself as a younger forty year old man with straight blonde hair and sat across William in the booth. Will decided to use his public school math teacher as his cover-up. He looked over at his reflection in the mirror sitting directly to the right of him. He started rubbing his nearly bald head and nervously smoothing out his unfamiliar moustache.

"Stop fidgeting. You're only drawing more attention to yourself," commanded Jeremiah.

"I'm sorry. Changing my appearance has never been my favorite thing to do. It makes me anxious."

"Ah, I see."

Both Jeremiah and Will looked around using nothing but their eyes and without turning their heads so much.

"It shouldn't be taking this long. On previous touch downs, Gibson and I have made contact with other Super Soldiers within minutes."

"Perhaps this isn't something that was to be expected from you."

"Perhaps."

Although Will knew that Jeremiah was right in front of him and Gibson just outside the front door, he couldn't help but feel that someone else was very close by, invading his thoughts.

_~Will? Someone-~_

_~I know. It's ok~_ Will looked at Jeremiah and ordered, "You've forgotten to wash your hands." That was Jeremiah's cue to leave.

"I'll go get-," Jeremiah nodded in understanding, "-go do that." He stood up and looked out the window making eye contact with Gibson. With a simple nod to his head, both he and Gibson left for the men's bathroom. As soon as Jeremiah entered the restroom, another figure immediately took his place in front of Will. It was another brother clone, Liam. He must of looked twenty years his junior.

"You don't have to hide yourself from me. I could tell who you were from the moment I entered the room. And I know that you're not alone…" Gibson came back out of the bathroom, the side pocket of his jacket bulging. Liam looked suspiciously over to Gibson and suddenly realized that he couldn't read his thoughts to figure out what was in his pocket. He could feel his abilities wash away as he ached from the sudden withdrawal. He groaned and started clutching his body before responding again, "…How is it that you have their shield? This is a trap."

"Relax. This is just a precaution to protect all of us here. But let us…" William looked down at Liam's hand which was extended on the table before him. He grabbed it and upon the touch was whisked away into Will's mind. "…talk here."

William was in his eleven year old body when he finished his communication with Liam. The twenty-something year old Liam looked around quickly at the dull-grey neutral background and then back into William's sure eyes. Liam smirked at William's new found confidence. "So, is this the part where I spill the beans and tell you everything?"

"No. I just want to know where Leyla Harrison is."

"Is that all? All of this work, to find out where she is?"

"Yes."

"Well that isn't wise. Is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"Have you ever wondered why things have been so easy and convenient for you? Aren't you the least bit curious?"

"What is your record for consecutive questions?"

Liam chuckled before responding, "I guess… six. You should thank me, you know. I've helped you come to this crossroad."

"You haven't helped me."

"Oh no? I know where you've been all this time. I could have stormed the place where your alien friend resides and have you all eliminated."

"Well, what stopped you?"

"That moment, this moment right now… all of it, is leading up to _your_ debut. Aliens, humans, hybrids, us… We are the ones to inherit this planet. Not our predecessors. Don't you see? You're destined to lead, because you are better than all of us combined. You are one of kind, a rarity."

"Jealous?"

"Not really, I know my place."

Intrigued, William allowed Liam to continue. He looked on him speculatively.

"You've been having dreams. Haven't you?"

"How could you—"

"—know? Upon awakening with your natural gifts, you should have had them sooner. Is the old man asking you to ask a question?"

"Yes."

"Have you asked the question?"

William refused to answer and remained quiet.

"I take it by your silence that you haven't. It doesn't matter. I already know that you haven't because if you had you'd already be fulfilling your destiny."

"Have _you_ asked?"

"I have and it has opened my eyes to a few things, but not everything. The prophecy says that the correct question will unlock unlimited power to the one who asks the right question."

"What did you ask?"

"I'll tell you everything you could ever want to know, if you join me. Join us my brother."

"What does it matter? I've been through the Aging Machine before. I'll be of no use to you. I'm dying and besides, I have no idea what question to ask."

"Brother, do you have any idea how many of us are out there? The majority of us have already tried to ask the right question. We can share all the information you need to ask the question _and_… get you back to normal."

"What makes you think I'll trust you?"

"Do you know how to trust yourself?"

"If you know me so well, then you know that I won't do that."

"Yeah you may be right… for now, but we shall see."

William withdrew from his hold on Liam and they were back in the dining room booths. Liam smirked as he stood up to walk away. He reached the door and turned around to Will, "3403 Samuel Blvd. You'll find her there."

Liam then walked out the door. Gibson and Will followed Liam outside to discover no trace of him.

"Well that was quick and painless. What did you guys say to each other in there?"

Knowing that Gibson was holding the special rock from his hometown and thus preventing him from hearing Will's thoughts, he responded anyways, ~A lot to think about~

* * *

Scully woke up in a darkened interrogation room. A single light dangled above the table, casting the only light in the room. She sat up in the chair and rubbed her cold face. Her head was a bit groggy from the anesthesia they gave her. Frightened, she looked around at her surroundings and was surprised by how little she was restrained. In fact, as she looked down there were no restraints. She stood up and proceeded to gain her bearings by walking around the room. She placed her hand up against the hardened grey wall and immediately realized her limitations. There was no escape.

"What do you want from me! I've done nothing wrong! Let me out! LET ME GO!"

Behind Scully the door slid open, allowing a single heavy set man to walk through. His hair gray and his face weathered, as if having seen too many horrors to go back to normal. He buttoned his business jacket with one hand before approaching the table between them.

"Who are you? And why am I here?" Scully demanded.

"Dana Scully, I am part of the Shadow Government. You are here because you know this man," said the mysterious figure as he tossed a few photos down on the table. Scully walked over to the table to get a better look and saw that they were all surveillance photos of William. Only, when she got a better look at all the photos, they were William at different ages.

"_Could this be her William?" _Scully thought. "The Shadow Government was distroyed years ago. Who is sponsoring you?"

"It never died," replied the man, "if these aliens exist, we exist, no matter the sponsor."

"Are you having trouble finding them?" Scully said sardonically.

"No, obviously they are everywhere but we are trying to fight. Don't you see? We are trying to protect our way of life."

"If you are so concerned about protecting our way of life, then why are you holding citizens prisoner? Citizens do have rights."

"As of December 31st, 2011 our President signed H.R. 1540. Which states in Title X, Subtitle D, sub-sections 1021 and 1022, that citizens within the United States can be detained by the military if suspected and or involved in terrorism. And this person," he continued pointing down at the photos for Scully, "is a terrorist."

Keeping her cool, Scully lied, "I don't know this person, or what he's done. How in the hell am I involved?"

"Because Ms. Scully… this is William, your son."

Scully faked her surprised reaction, "But I gave up my son when he was still a baby. That was eleven years ago. All of these photos are pictures of men. How can you possibly connect these men to me?"

"By Blood."

"Of course you would. You've taken my ova, given me cancer, taken away my son, my happiness, and now my rights. What more could you possibly want from me?"

"Just you Ms. Scully. Just you," the man said creepily. He walked around the table to approach Scully. She started backing away as he made the gesture for her to have a seat. Scully shook her head, clearly refusing the offer. The man then grabbed her by the shoulders. Scully struggled as she was reluctantly made to sit down. He then walked back around the table to sit directly across from Scully. "Our intentions are not to hurt you. We know everything about you. We know of your desire to be with William, and we know of his desire to be with you."

"And how could you possibly know of his desire?"

"Because…" the man began to say as he started to shape-shift into William, "…I am your son."

He reached out his small hand toward Scully and she mirrored a similar response. He held her hand and closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath. His body started to immediately relax, his shoulders lowering and his head bowing as if going into a deep meditative trance. Suddenly realizing that this wasn't _her_ William, she immediately withdrew her hand. "You're not my son," said Scully.

The younger looking William opened his eyes and exhaled before responding, "I can see why we hold you in such high regard."

He looked down at his empty hands. He was completely and fully relaxed. "But why? How is this even possible? You're just human."

Speechless, Scully kept silent as she observed his reaction. The young William stood up still staring down at his hands in shock. He shifted back into the older man and looked back up at Scully, stunned. Bewildered, Scully didn't know what to make of what just happened. The door slid open and he left, leaving Scully with more questions than answers. Scully wondered in her mind, _What just happened? Why did he react that way to my touch? Who's human anymore? If he's another clone of William, then why is he defending humanity? What's to become of me? Where is my William?_

Scully inhaled slowly. When she exhaled, a tear fell out of the corner of her eye as she sighed, "Mulder."


	12. Chase

GEORGE WASHINGTON HOSPITAL

SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2012 5:53 P.M.

Mulder parked the car about a block away from the hospital. As he jogged towards the building he looked up the large edifice and his eyes scaled the immensity of it. The hospital was very close in distance to the other federal buildings. He entered the hospital and looked around for directions to the Pediatrics' wing. He saw the directory board and immediately took the elevator to the correct floor. Upon seeing the front desk attendant, he immediately felt an old anxiety, which he had only felt during his cloak and dagger days when seeking out the truth. In a flash, memories started flooding back to him. …_Climbing on board the spacecraft to save Scully and her transformation. Getting into the secret military facility that led to his going into hiding. Watching Samantha disappear… _

What Mulder feared the most, was that feeling of helplessness and trusting the untrustworthy to bring justice, and he could not stand it. It was only until recently that he discovered faith in something, in someone. That person was Scully; Mulder's symbol and cross. She reminded him that there is still hope left to this world. And she was the only person whose life determined his sanity and gave substance to the intangible and inexplicable. If something happened to her, he would certainly lose touch with all reason.

"Sir, can I help you?" the attendant asked. The question interrupted his miniature anxiety attack, and like always, brushed it off.

"Uh…" Mulder was thinking quickly, "Yes…I'm-" but was immediately interrupted by a phone call that sought out the attention of the attendant first. The female attendant picked up the phone to answer, gesturing to Mulder to wait a minute.

"Nancy in pediatrics. Mmhmm. Ok. I'll be there in a moment." The attendant hung up the phone, looking at Mulder, "I'm sorry, but if you could wait here in the lobby. I'll be right back."

Mulder sat down in one of the available chairs in the hallway and waited for the woman to exit beyond the double doors. He scoped the general vicinity and noticed how surprisingly vacant the area was for a hospital that's usually very busy. He took his good fortune and immediately stood up to approach the front desk. He slowly skulked down the juxtaposing hall opposite of the direction Nancy headed towards. He scanned quickly at the walls, billboards, signs, floors; anything that gave evidence to Scully's whereabouts. Suddenly he saw a young pair of eyes staring at him through a window. The sign above the doors read, _Play Time_.

Once the little girl noticed Mulder noticing her, she immediately raised her eyebrows in fear and hid from his view. Mulder approached the room and opened the door. "Knock, knock?" said Mulder as he lightly tapped the glass door.

The little girl that was staring at Mulder through the window backed herself into a corner. She wore a beanie that looked too warm for her head and she embraced herself as if protecting her body. "Who are you?" piped the little girl.

"My name is Fox Mulder."

"Fox? Like the animal?" questioned the curious little girl.

"Yep," replied Mulder. The other children in the room were too busy playing with the new gaming system that they had barely noticed a stranger enter the room. Mulder figured since he was the tallest person in the see-through room, that he better shorten his stature by sitting in one of the kids chairs. He sat in a short chair just out of view from the exposing windows. "So… what's your name?"

The little girl approached Mulder hesitantly, and then silently walked around him scanning him up and down for anything suspicious. Upon satisfactory, she dragged another chair forward and sat across from Mulder.

"Dottie," she replied. She continued staring Mulder down as if half expecting him to leap out of his own skin to frighten her, but then she quickly decided her opinion by responded, "I like you. You're not like the other big people around here."

"What do you mean?"

"I dunno," shifted Dottie as she shifted her eyes toward the wall. "You just… um… look normal."

"_Look normal?_ How so?"

Dottie took her time as she continued with her opinion, "You seem safe… warm."

"Do you not feel safe?" said Mulder. Dottie shrugged her shoulders and then shook her head slightly. "Well, you should feel safe. The people here really just want to see you get better."

"Yeah right," blurted out Dottie sarcastically, "they all act strange here, except Dr. Scu-" Dottie halted her thought and she immediately looked down as she started to cry. Flashes of Scully's violent disappearance had frightened the little girl.

"Dr. Scully? Is she your doctor?" said Mulder, excitement ebbing in his voice. Just hearing about a possible lead to Scully's whereabouts kick started his adrenal glands and caused his heart to flutter. Dottie sniffled, wiping her nose on her right sleeve before nodding her head up and down. She still continued avoiding Mulder's gaze. Her stare was focused on the flowered wall paper pattern next to them. Mulder got up and placed his body in the view of the little girl.

"She wasn't my doctor for long time, but I really did like her."

He stared at the little girl for a moment and reassessed his approach. Her fidgeting in place, her removal from the other children patients, all pointed to signs of trauma. Dottie's curled up body position and wide nervous eyes only confirmed his theory. Mulder gathered all the symptoms and concluded that she was definitely suffering from some sort of shock. He lowered and softened his voice before slowly speaking, "What did you see?"

Dottie pulled up her knees to her head as she buried her face in her folded arms. Through her limbs she managed to mumble out, "The other doctors, they took her."

"Where?"

Dottie lifted her head momentarily, looking over the window that viewed the rest of the hospital. Her mood suddenly shifted to distress. "My Suzie doll! Could you grab it for me? I need her. She needs me. I left her alone. She's really scared."

Bombarded by the random response, Mulder decided to go with it. "Sure, where did you leave her last?"

"Down the hall," she sniffled, "by our beds. It's my fault. She'll never forgive me."

"Hey, it's ok. I'll get her back to you." Mulder got up and quickly glanced outside the Children's Play room. The coast was still clear. He looked back down at Dottie and noticed that she was trembling. Sympathetically, he reached out and cupped her shoulder to reassure her, not even entirely sure that he was doing the right thing to comfort her. He said, "None of this is your fault. You have been so incredibly brave that Suzie would be proud of you. Now, I know you don't really know me, but I need you to continue being brave for me. Can you do that?"

She nodded her head. Mulder grinned and replied, "Good. I'll be right back."

Mulder crept down the hallway looking down at the baseboards of the walls to see where Dottie could have possibly dropped her doll. A pillar stood adjacent to the entrance to the Children's Ward. As he walked closer he could make out a couple of rouge pieces of yarn string to what appeared to be the hair to a doll. The faux hair poked out from the blind side of the pillar as it sat against it. Mulder approached the girl's doll when he noticed the position where the figure sat.

He looked up and around the area. Before picking up the doll he tried to recreate a possible scenario in his mind which led to Suzie's abandonment. Mulder got down on one knee to replicate Dottie's height and tried to imagine seeing things from her perspective. The relative position between the pillar and the doors to the Children's Ward offered a quaint little nook for any little person to sit in or hide behind. Mulder put the time frame of her disappearance somewhere between approximately 3:00 a.m. when he last heard her voice to now. The hospital was at its' least busy shift, meaning less witnesses.

Mulder pretended to drop the imaginary doll and when he looked down he guesstimated the direction in which Dottie was looking at. Dottie indirectly answered his question on where she last saw Scully by her nervous reaction and then suddenly needing of her doll. Psychologically speaking, Mulder concluded through association of behavior that Scully disappeared around the very same time Dottie dropped her doll. The sudden neglect of Suzie was Dottie's coping of the incident she saw, and thus when confronted with the issue, reacted in the way that she did.

He picked up the doll and looked down the short hospital hallway. The only entrance and exit was a single elevator.

* * *

KWIK-N-GO SUPERMARKET

6:14 P.M.

"If that's Mr. Jerry, then he looks pretty damn good in that photo."

"Are you saying that this is him?" questioned Reyes as she showed the Air Force photo of Captain Gerald Feinhart. Doggett looked on authoritatively as both he and Reyes questioned the customer service clerk.

"I'm saying that if you took away ten to twenty years and shaved off his hair and beard, then yeah."

The answer wasn't definitive so Doggett asked, "Are you sure? Would you be willing to testify in court?"

The clerk being slightly offended at his response, defended more seriously, "Yes. I'm sure. In fact, I'm sure that anyone who works here would back me up."

"Well, thank you for your time," answered Reyes with a grateful nod of her head. They both turned away from the counter and headed toward the exit doors. "We should probably tell Mulder of our confirmation."

Just then Doggett's phone started buzzing. "And speak of the Devil," Doggett acknowledged the phone call as both he and Reyes exited the store and headed toward their SUV. "Mulder! Any news yet?"

"_Scully is definitely somewhere here in this hospital. There's an elevator on the Children's Ward and I have a hunch I'm going to find something that some people aren't going to like. I'm going to turn my cell off for the time being. I'll call when I get out," _answered Mulder in soft subdued voice. Then there was a soft click and the phone went silent on his end.

"Mulder, are you ok? Don't do anything… Mulder? Mulder! Damn it!" said Doggett as he angrily ended his phone call, "Now I remember why I don't like working with this guy."

"What happened? What's going on?" said Reyes her eyebrows furrowed in concern. Doggett's walking started picking up speed.

"C'mon, let's get to the car quick. We've got to head to the hospital before Mulder does something stupid."

* * *

3404 SAMUEL BOULEVARD

WARRENTON, VIRGINIA

SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2012 6:14 P.M.

Jeremiah, Gibson and William beamed themselves down from the ship behind a building across from their true destination. "She's got to be in there," pointed out William. "Can you hear her?"

Will's question was directed at Gibson. "I've never met Leyla Harrison, so I wouldn't even begin to know what to listen for."

"I suppose something foreign or out of the ordinary would be sufficient," suggested Jeremiah.

"So, I would basically listen for the thoughts of someone like you. Gee, thanks for the insight. That helps," Gibson replied sarcastically.

"Shhh!" hushed William, "I'm going to try and hear her."

Will closed his eyes and tried to concentrate like in previous practice sessions with Gibson. An immediate tsunami of sounds washed over him like twenty or so radio stations turned on simultaneously. He first eliminated the voices that had a distinct low masculine pitch.

"Ah! I think I know what floor she's in," interrupted Gibson. The statement broke Will's concentration.

William sighed in frustration, "Gah, this is freaking hard."

"Nah, you got this. You can do it. There's something being said on the fourth floor that seems suspicious. Check it out there."

Without moving an inch from his position, William did as was suggested by Gibson and focused on the fourth floor of the building. William's ability to hear people's minds was nowhere near that of Gibson's years of experience and training. To get to the strength and stamina in focus of Gibson's level of hearing would be likened to that of an Olympic runner running as fast as a horse; not impossible, but still extremely challenging.

William closed his eyes again.

Will was standing outside his body. It was definitely an odd sensation looking at himself standing there next to Jeremiah and Gibson. William was somehow translating sounds to visions. He looked up at the building he was standing behind and saw through the thick brick walls. The voices he heard were represented by different colors. The voices that were clearly of a Super Soldier were fully fleshed out in his mind. Not only could Will hear what they were saying, he knew what the Super Soldiers looked like. The other human voices were mere silhouetted pulsations of light, vibrating through the rhythm of sound.

_~How am I doing this?~ _Thought Will.

William couldn't believe how well he was receiving the information when he saw the old Asian man from his dreams leading him through the street. He followed the old man and they walked through the unknown building of his destination with unmarked doors and see-through walls. They both traveled up to the fourth floor and there she was, Agent Leyla Harrison, addressing another Super Soldier. _"…I don't care how you do it. The Tower needs to go up. The Brethren are after me, I fear my time may be up…"_

Will opened his eyes and he was back in his body. He turned to Gibson who was giving him a mixed facial expression of amazement and fear. It was the first time Will used his hearing ability in that way and the Old Asian man from his dreams was involved, and Gibson felt the presence of him through William's thoughts. "You saw that old man from your dreams again, haven't you?"

"What do you mean? What happened? What's going on?" wondered Jeremiah.

"It's nothing, never mind. I know exactly where Leyla is, ok? I'll explain later, but we better move because Super Soldiers are bound to come." Will patted the filled syringe that rested in his right pant leg pocket for immediate access when the time was right to use it. As soon as he reassured himself, they all proceeded down the path Will recalled during his aural vision.

Super Soldiers were coming out of the buildings that felt William's presence upon proximity. They all eerily stood at the edge of the streets looking at the individuals making their way. When a few of the Super Soldiers became too close for comfort, Will used his force energy to push them out of the way. The situation felt odd since none of them were aggressively challenging them or physically confronting them. They were just looking. Most of their eyes were serious, some were apathetic, but all were still nonetheless frightening.

Will, Gibson and Jeremiah climbed the stair ways of the business building and made it to the fourth floor, like he did in his vision earlier. Will reached into his pocket and held the syringe in his hand. He was prepared to inject the serum into Leyla, hopefully non-violently. Just as they approached the door, they saw part of the wall break open. It was Leyla escaping the entrapped room. Without so much as batting an eyelid, she had crashed through the wall and came into the hallway so quickly that it caused the trio to jump in their place. She had walked through the wall with ease, leaving nothing but rubble and debris in its wake. When she caught a quick glimpse of William she immediately started sprinting down the hallway.

Leyla had moved so quickly, that she was almost near the exit at the opposite end of the hallway. Instantaneously, Will knew that if they had to run to chase her down they would not have been able to reach her in time to catch her. So he floated the loaded syringe in his hand and sent it like a speeding dart toward the base of Leyla's neck. From the other end of the hall, Will forced the syringe to condense and squeeze every drop of silver liquid into her system. Leyla slowed her run to a stumble and then immediately collapsed to her knees, and upon hitting the ground she fell sideways.

_~Please let this work~ _Will thought. The trio hustled quickly to where Leyla fell. Jeremiah got to Leyla first and turned her onto her back so that they all could see her face. Jeremiah grabbed one of her wrists and felt for a pulse. All of a sudden her eyes whipped open revealing nothing but pitch black coloration.

"Her mind's gone blank. I don't hear anything, do you?" asked Will confirming with Gibson. Will reached for Leyla's other hand and tried to comfort her.

"I've got nothing," said Gibson horrified by the sight of her eyes, "Does she have a pulse?"

Jeremiah immediately replied, "Negative. Wait…"

Leyla's entire body started to tremble which quickly escalated to seizure-like convulsions.

"Support her head!" shouted Will as both he and Jeremiah were preventing her arms from flailing around violently.

"I'm already ahead of you," responded Gibson as he rushed over to Leyla's head to cradle it between his hands and knees.

"What's happening to her?" asked Jeremiah.

"I was kind of hoping you would tell me," said William as she continued to shake wildly. He took the needle that was still submerged in her neck and immediately yanked it away, tossing it to the side.

After about five minutes of the fevered quake, her body eventually subsided to a few small vibrating shudders. Then finally, her muscles relaxed and then nothing. Jeremiah and Will both still held onto each of Leyla's hands and looked at each other. They had both felt her life leave them. The shock was the helplessness, especially since she had two healers at each hand and still none could save her. Jeremiah reached for her eyelids and then closed them gently with his two fingers.

"But, I don't understand!" exclaimed Gibson.

"Neither do I," stated Jeremiah solemnly. "Are you sure it wasn't a poison from Liam?"

"It was meant for me, but I don't understand. I distinctly recall Liam intending to rid me the burden of my abilities, not kill me. It should have worked."

Then Leyla suddenly opened her clear eyes, inhaling her first real breath. The trio inhaled with her in absolute surprise. She then tried looking around blinking every so often, focusing with her original blue eyes. "Will…," croaked Leyla.

"Yeah, I'm here," responded William still holding her left hand.

"Your mom… Dana Scully…," said Leyla Harrison between labored breaths, "she's in danger. She's the… George Washington… Hospital…"

Leyla passed out in their arms.

"…Mom?" said Will softly to himself.

"William," interrupted Jeremiah, "Leyla Harrison's alive. Let's get her to the ship and over to Mulder as soon as possible. She's suffered some significant trauma and I'll feel safer healing her once we're away from this place."

"Yeah, we'll figure out a plan on the way over to D.C.," concurred Gibson. It took all the effort in the world for Will to focus on the task at hand.

"Yeah, ok," agreed Will, "But after we get on the ship, we go straight the George Washington Hospital."

Bluish hues suddenly engulfed the party of four and were immediately whisked away to the spacecraft just floating above.

* * *

SEPTEMBER 24TH, 2012

Scully sat slumped in her chair. She had been sitting there for so long she couldn't tell what hour it was. Exhausted, she avoided the human need to sleep, especially if she wanted to stay alive and still be the same person she woke up to today. Scully rubbed diligently over the sore spots on her arms where she was poked, prodded and injected. She could still feel the residual drugs in her system, which had put her in a strange phantasmagoria. The twilight state she was in was scary, but she knew it would be worse if she were to fall asleep. A door slid open and caused Scully to jump in her seat.

"I'm not going to submit. You're just going to have to kill me," she said in a somewhat lucid voice. William's clone, who came in the form of a stocky man with a weathered face, entered the room. "So what do people call you anyways?" she continued.

The clone scoffed and replied slyly in a gruff voice, "Well you should know mom."

"You bastard!" exclaimed Scully as she continued rubbing her arms gingerly.

"Tst, tst, tst, we'll have none of that now. How about you call me Liam instead, hmm?"

Scully remained vigilant in her responses. She didn't want to give away anything, especially in her current state. The clone, noticing Scully's pain, came forward and sat in front of her. She flinched as she felt the tremor of Liam sitting down. He extended his hand on the table before her. "Give me your hand."

Scully shook her head.

"I swear I won't hurt you. In fact, I want to do the opposite."

She remained as still as possible, her eyes staring at Liam with complete skepticism.

"Would you prefer that I force your hand?"

The option presented, however suspicious, was also a better alternative to a possibly violent outcome if she didn't offer her hand. She took her chances and lifted her arm. Scully's hand quivered as she extended it to touch Liam's hand. He gently caressed her hand with both of his hands, as if it were a delicate fragile gem.

She could feel both their heartbeats align in perfect rhythm and her muscles began to relax. Her sight, once plagued with odd colors and double vision, began to form clear and sensible shapes. The cloud, fogging her mind, was being lifted and she could feel the sobering clarity of reality. Her hunger vanished, and she felt the illusion of being satiated. The exhaustion she had once felt suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a new kind of spring. She was reawakening. She felt like she was being rinsed of the drugs that worked her system, and was instantly feeling better.

Liam let go of Scully's hand and their limbs separated. Scully was surprised by Liam's altruistic gesture. She stared at her hand as she slowly withdrew it, clenching and unclenching it. "I don't understand…"

"What's there to understand?"

"Why did you heal me?"

Liam shrugged his shoulders and said, "We all have our reasons."

Scully paused for a moment, thinking that there was more to his response than what he was leading her to believe. "So again, what could you possibly want from me?"

Liam looked on, carefully studying her reaction. Scully continued, "I've got nothing of value. So what can I even offer to exchange for my freedom?"

She started thinking of their previous encounter. She remembered seeing the photos of William on the table and realizing that the person in front of her is not William, but a clone. Liam's silence perturbed her because she knew he was sitting on answers that would make this whole entire situation make sense.

"You just need to stay alive for the time being."

"Alive for what?"

"For William to fulfill his destiny," answered Liam, "you're integral to his decision. I'm just eager to see it come into fruition."

"Well, I'm not going to force him to do or say anything that might endanger his life."

"I know."

"I don't even know where he is."

"We're waiting for him. He'll be coming for you soon."

As silence filled the air, Scully was putting two and two together. The realization hit her like a bucket of cold water and she responded, "This is a trap for William… and, I'm the bait."

She couldn't believe what she was saying. As the words hung in the air, she began to get upset over the audacity of the whole situation. Her anger stemming from years of abuse and being used as a pawn in someone else's game. And now that she's unwillingly participating in the possible demise of her own son, it only strengthened her resolve. "And you've made him into a terrorist," Scully shook her head in disgust, "damn you."

"It all comes out in the wash. Perhaps he'll show mercy on you and your kind."

Disgusted, Scully replied scathingly, "Get out of here. I have nothing left to say to you."

Liam grinned as he stood up to leave. The door slid open and he left the room. Just when the door was about to fully close, a hand popped through halting the complete closure. Mulder entered the room wearing a doctor's lab coat. "Mulder!" cried Scully in relief.

Mulder held up a finger to his mouth signifying the need to move silently. Scully got up and ran over to Mulder and they embraced for a few seconds. The door was about to slide close again and both he and Scully made their grand escape to the surface.


	13. Terrorist's Push

_Dear Loyal Readers,_

_I'm so sorry about the delay in publishing this chapter. It is indeed WAY overdue. Real Life has been dramatic for me. Going into debt. Boy dramas. Depression. Needless to say, this summer has been pretty rough on me and I had an extremely difficult time getting my priorities straight and getting around to actually editing and eventually submitting this online. In lighter news, I'm slowly getting back on my feet (financially), turning over a new leaf, and am steadily climbing out of this deep dark hole I had placed myself in. My moods are brighter, and after a much needed holiday, I am viewing life differently. This chapter, I dedicate to YOU.  
_

_~Skitzoeinhoven  
_

* * *

"So Mulder didn't say what he was about to do?" asked Reyes. John's aggravation and irritation was showing in his speeding.

"That knuckle-head is risking everything we've worked for! He has total disregard to consequence. I tell you, Will may look like him, but damn, he sure does act more like Scully."

"Scully would know what to do," said Reyes.

"Yeah, well, she hasn't turned up in about twenty-four hours. He knows perfectly well that forty-eight hours is the minimum to even consider filing for a Missing-Persons report. I still think he's jumping to conclusions."

Reyes looked on at her husband, feeling helpless to alleviate her husband's woes, when her cell phone started to ring.

"Tell me that's Mulder," said Doggett cynically.

"It's not," said Reyes looking down at her cell phone's screen checking the I.D., "It's Director Braxton."

"Oh great! Just what we need, another a-"

Reyes cut off Doggett's remark mid-sentence by answering her phone, "Yes, sir?"

"_Monica, this is an emergency and I'm calling for an all-hands-on-deck. Is Doggett with you?"_

"Yes sir," answered Reyes as she quickly switched the audio on her phone to speaker so that both she and Doggett could hear simultaneously.

"_You both are needed at the George Washington Hospital. A terrorist has taken hostage there and I need every man and woman to assist wherever possible to make this situation NOT a national tragedy." _

Reyes and Doggett looked at each other briefly in shock over the coincidence of the destination, "Sir, we're already on our way there. What is the target's name?"

"_Target is known by the name… William Scully." _Both Doggett and Reyes' eyes widened. _"I'll fill you both in on the rest of the intel when you arrive."_

When Reyes ended the phone call, Doggett took haste driving almost twice as fast as the limit intended, but now with extra incentive.

* * *

Mulder and Scully both escaped the deserted hallways of her prison. Scully, unsure of her whereabouts, looked wildly about checking for any possible threat. Mulder, without even so much as checking around a corner, seemed focused on the path ahead of them and they made it to the elevator with unbelievable ease. The doors opened and both Scully and Mulder entered. When the doors finally closed, Scully finally felt safe enough to speak. The adrenaline coursing through her veins had prevented her from focusing on the more pertinent questions she had wanted to ask upon her surprising rescue, but the first one that came to her mind was, "Where are we?"

Mulder pressed a series of buttons in an odd formation and then finally pressed the 'G' button on the elevator keypad. Without so much as looking at her he responded, "You're in the subterranean level of the hospital."

He turned the key in the upright position which caused the elevator to immediately begin to rise. Mulder took the mysterious key and placed it in the front pocket of his stolen white lab coat.

"So you're saying that I was under the G.W. Hospital the entire time?"

"Yes."

"How did you find me?"

"Believe me, it's better that you don't know."

There was something about Mulder that struck her as odd, but she didn't want to question her escape. At least, not while they were still escaping. Mulder's methods of finding out information, especially when it came down to finding the truth, had never been by any means "normal." He did find her somehow on that Alien spacecraft after all. Was this so extraordinary? So she decided to dismiss her curious instincts and anxiously awaited the doors to open as they reached the surface.

Claustrophobia was just starting to set in when the elevator doors opened to what appeared to be the hospital garage. They looked about the enclosed garage and searched for an exit door. A bright red light glowed saying 'EXIT' across from where they stood and they ran toward it. Something caused Mulder to pause in his steps and shout towards Scully, "Wait!"

They were not alone…

* * *

Reyes and Doggett donned their FBI jackets as they approached a couple dozen other law enforcement vehicles, along with four S.W.A.T. trucks. They both fought through the vulture-like crowd of news media personnel, and quickly flashed their badges as they came upon the police perimeter. Doggett searched for their estranged Director while Reyes looked around the hospital soaking in the overwhelming intensity of their environment. Noise and chaos was the first thing that came to her mind. People shouting, radios being squawked, choppers beating overhead, and multi-colored lights flashing everywhere. Closer to the hospital, she saw the drop-off/pick-up lanes filled with school buses and a dozen EMT vehicles evacuating the patients from the hospital. Darkness was settling in, and the special teams being assembled were lighted from the helicopters zooming above the hospital along with the news media trucks just eager to get the first scoop on the story.

Doggett and Reyes must have been the first to arrive at the scene, because behind them she saw Director Ryan Braxton follow.

Communication was always few and far between when it came down to Director Braxton dealing with the X-Files. As long as the cases presented were getting solved, there was very little discussion. The fifty-one year old agent felt the X-Files unit was like the appendix; was rendered useful at some point in time within the bureau, but has grown superfluous. Somehow with budget cuts constantly being threatened, the X-Files has always managed to remain active. But with its' history, a higher up official usually denied his request to terminate the unit. The stalemate that had settled between him and the X-Files unit left an unresolved bitterness which led to any subject matter relating to it moot.

"Well you both got here pretty fast," said Director Braxton.

"We were already on our way here. An important consultant to our case alerted us to follow him here," stated Doggett cordially.

"Ah yes, Fox Mulder that's right," said the fifty-one year old agent sarcastically. He rolled his eyes on just the sound of 'Fox Mulder' and started rubbing his salt and pepper head as if that would relieve the tension that was mounting within his scalp.

"Sir, what can you tell us about the whole situation?" asked Reyes passing Doggett as she approached the director. The three agents moved in haste towards an armored truck assembling communications between all the officers and agents on the site.

"William Scully was just a regular citizen until out of nowhere he popped up 'High Priority' on our terrorist list. We've received much inside information from our own about this gentleman. I'm surprised as to how much he's done that's slipped below our radar until now. He's been popping up all over the United States, as well as other places in the world just destroying one small town after another. He's linked to many civilian and federal disappearances as well as mass deaths. We've been given the go-ahead order… kill on sight."

"Sir, what is William Scully's motive? Why is he here of all places? If his M.O. has been to attack 'small towns' then isn't D.C. a bit of a stretch, _if_ this is our guy? Is there any possibility for a negotiation?" questioned Reyes.

Braxton hopped into the open truck to grab an available laptop. He flipped it open and placed it on the standing table before them. He took out a flash drive from within his side pocket and inserted it into the available USB port. Almost instantaneously, random surveillance images of William flashed on the screen. Then multiple screens popped up showing live action footage of William performing heinous acts of random violence.

"Negotiation is NOT on the table. We've been tipped that he was spotted here, and we are to act accordingly and with all precautions," replied Director Braxton confidently and seriously as he hopped back into the open truck looking at blue prints for the hospital.

Doggett looked hesitantly at Reyes, unsure as to whether or not to confess what it is that they both knew. He decided against his better judgment and spoke, "Sir, Fox Mulder was in that hospital looking for Dana Scully because that's where she's been working now for the past few weeks. She's been missing for less than 48 hours, and sir Dana Scully," he paused taking a breath, "is William Scully's mother."

Braxton looked over at Doggett and Reyes finally putting two and two together. It was then that he realized William Scully's motive: _he's after his mother_. Agent Braxton blinked as a rush of questions entered his head. The weight and gravitas of the entire situation was even more profound than he thought. In disbelief Agent Braxton responded, "How is that… _this_ even possible? Or even the same person, for that matter? The pictures and footage we have here are that of an adult male in his thirties or forties. Mulder and Scully are, what? In their, forties or fifties? It doesn't add up."

"Welcome to our world," said Doggett.

Agent Braxton was starting to get confused, almost frustrated when he asked, "So, let me get this straight, mind you I was only able to read briefly on your reports on this… You hired Fox Mulder and Dana Scully in the assistance of finding our agent, Leyla Harrison. Fox Mulder and Dana Scully brought their son along, who is how old?"

"Eleven," answered Reyes.

"Right," he continued in sarcastic disbelief, "Their eleven year old son, who somehow magically grew up and disappeared, is causing all this death and carnage. Are you seriously expecting me to believe that this is that same boy?"

Both Reyes and Doggett tried to speak at the same time explaining what they could, until they were quickly interrupted, "Ah, uh, uh—It doesn't even matter. We have our orders. I just want to safely evacuate this building, expeditiously, and get this bastard whoever he is. Now do you two have any information that can assist me in accomplishing any one or two of those objectives?"

Doggett and Reyes looked at each other, and both felt like they were being debased. Then they finally responded by shaking their heads, without saying a word.

"No? Good. I need you both to relay the information I just told you to all the incoming Federal Agents when they arrive. Oh, and agents… do not breathe a word of what you just suggested to me."

Both Doggett and Reyes grabbed a set of radios and departed immediately away from their director. The agents took one last incredulous look at each other before separating. Reyes went to the left of the police perimeter and Doggett took to the right, both still hovering close to the epicenter of information. Doggett walked away, mumbling under his breath a few choice words to his superior officer.

* * *

"_Leyla, can you hear me? Leyla?_" Gibson kept calling out to her over her shoulders. Jeremiah Smith held Leyla's hand while using the other to hold the side of her face.

"It's amazing, she's healing unusually fast for a human," said Jeremiah.

"Yeah, _IF _she's human."

"To quote a movie Mr. Praise, '…_We're not so different, you and I...'"_

"Did you just make a joke?"

"Not all, I am just an enthusiastic spectator."

"Hey Will! Jeremiah watches movies like the rest of us. He's not so alien after all… _Will_?"

William couldn't think. The only thing on his mind was his mother. The very idea of his mother in any sort of danger… he couldn't fathom the possibilities and it put his mind in a binding, blinding trance. "We're here. We're at the hospital," Will replied somberly. Suddenly, and out of nowhere, Leyla bolted upright and shouted, "Will! Don't hurt me!"

All the individuals turned at the sound of Leyla Harrison's voice. Harrison had awakened. She looked around frantically, as if waking up from a nightmare. "Where am I? Gibson! Is that you? What are we doing here?"

Gibson came to her side and held her hand. Harrison was looking upon Jeremiah and Will as if they were complete strangers. It was obvious to everyone in the room that she was experiencing some form of amnesia. "Harrison, we are on board William's ship. No need to worry, we're here to help you. Do you recognize any one else here?"

Harrison curled up like a frightened child against Gibson's chest and Gibson gladly held her within his arms. She glazed upon Jeremiah and Will with tears of fear in her eyes. She took her time, looking at Jeremiah first, and then shook her head. She then turned to look at William. William was standing before her, waiting for her response. She first glanced at his feet and worked her way up the body. Nothing was registering until she saw his face.

"Your eyes! William! Is that _really_ you? It can't be. You're too old." Confused, she turned to look at Gibson, "Gibson, why would Will want to harm me?"

"I don't know," he answered.

"It must have been one of my clones. That did this to her."

"Her recollection is scattered. Could it be a side effect from the serum we gave her?" asked Jeremiah.

"Most likely," concurred William. "Ms. Harrison, there's very little time to explain everything. Can you tell me anything about the danger you said my mother is in?"

Leyla looked everywhere, her eyes blinking furiously. She then closed her eyes to desperately try and recall her thoughts and recollect her memories. She stuttered, "…sh.. she… Scully. Scully is your mother."

"Yes," said Will as he knelt down before her to get closer, excited at the possible connection, "and do you remember anything?"

Harrison avoided Will's steely blue eyes, because it frightened her. She kept her eyes closed as she disappointingly shook her head.

"Leyla, what is the last thing you remember?" asked Gibson gently.

"I can't… I don't know?... I'm trying…" She stared at the floors as if the weird architecture would reveal the answers to her. Frustrated again, she closed her eyes, trying desperately to understand the images that were flashing through her mind.

"…a parking garage… Will… Will's eyes." She shuddered at the haunting and gave an exasperated sigh.

"Ms. Harrison, we're going to take you home. But we've got to help my mother first. My fa— Mulder, needs to see you."

Jeremiah looked earnestly at the frightened Agent, "Are you ready to go home Ms. Leyla Harrision?"

She looked around at everybody in the room; first at Jeremiah, then Will and then Gibson. She nodded grimly. Gibson looked over at Will and couldn't help but feel that something was off about him.

"Do you think you can get up and walk?" William's comment interrupted Gibson's thought. Agent Harrison nodded again and Gibson helped her stand up. "Alright, we're going to beam down to the top of the parking garage to the hospital. Hopefully that destination will be a little less conspicuous, yet close enough to get inside the building."

Everyone nodded in accord and from where they stood a neon-blue light surrounded the individuals. In a blink of an eye, the party reappeared unnoticed on the very top level of the parking garage. The garage was not enclosed and was vulnerable to the night sky. The clouds in the sky were reflecting the sparkling red, white and blue flashes from the police vehicles from down below. The party saw an oncoming helicopter heading their way. A search-light coming from the helicopter beamed ominously back and forth combing the hospital's surface. The light threatened the exposure of the individuals and they all ran towards the parking lot's stairway exit.

The party descended, floor after floor until finally Gibson spoke, "Stop!" Everyone turned to look at Gibson. "We need to go back out into the parking garage."

William was surprised at Gibson's reaction. He must have heard something that he hadn't. Since he had the same ability as Gibson, it was strange to not have heard the same thing as well. Will asked, "What is it?"

Gibson didn't respond to Will and just entered through the closest door to him that led to the parking lot level.

_~Gibson! Gibson, what is it? Why can't I hear you?~_

The group then retracted their decent and followed Gibson into the parking lot he entered. Gibson ran to the exposed edge of the lot and looked over the balcony. Everyone else followed suit and saw the many police cars and armored trucks on the ground before them.

"Wow," gasped Agent Harrison, "something bad must be happening."

"You would know, since this is your line of work," added Jeremiah toward Agent Harrison.

"I think… I handled the finances for the F.B.I."

Jeremiah looked over at Leyla studying her. Although very pleased with her quick recovery, he still remained skeptical of her special condition.

"Will, Mulder and Scully are here. Agents Doggett and Reyes are over there," pointed Gibson towards the line of cop cars. "Can't you hear it?"

Will felt the familiar hum he's always felt when one of his cloned brethren were close. However, the vibrations of the hum were so ferocious that he felt deaf and numb to everything else. "My cloned brethren are here."

"_Clones?_" said Agent Harrison incredulously. Frightened and shocked over the new insight she continued, "Are you saying that there are more than one of you? Do they have your abilities too?"

"Yes."

"I believe that one of William's clones may have kidnapped you and placed you in your current state," informed Jeremiah. Jeremiah looked over at Will's cold-stone face, washed with apathy staring down at the vehicles below. "Is everything alright Will?"

"My… my abilities… They're not—" Gibson interrupted Will as he grabbed his arm to alert him.

"Will, one of your clones is near… Scully!" Gibson shouted as he took off down the vehicular ramp that led toward the next parking lot level down. The troupe ran after Gibson down the next level and saw standing before them Mulder and Scully. Upon meeting each other, there was a strange mixture of facial reactions; shock, anguish, joy and surprise were among the few. Gibson stopped dead in his tracks after seeing Mulder.

"Will he's not—" began Gibson and was literally choking on his own words. Will and Jeremiah tried to catch Gibson as he was falling to his knees. Scully ran over to the group to assist in whatever way she could, medically. Gibson was grabbing at his chest and throat, gagging as he struggled to breathe. Will tried with all his might to hear his friend's thoughts, but no reverberation was heard. Gibson's face was turning white and his lips blue. Will held on as Gibson fell backwards onto his lap. Gibson looked up into William's eyes. The look was pleading and out of desperation. Then the pair of eyes rolled backwards into his skull and he passed out before them. The whole incident happened so quickly that there was barely enough time for Scully to check his throat for any obstructions, instead she felt for a pulse.

"He's still alive and breathing," stated Scully, "but barely."

Jeremiah sensed that William was having difficulties with his abilities, so he tried to rejuvenate Gibson on his own. Jeremiah felt Gibson's throat and chest and for a few moments it seemed that Gibson was reacting to his touch. Gibson's eyes would flutter and he began to take larger breaths, but as soon as Jeremiah released his touch from Gibson's body Gibson remained in a catatonic state. In response, Jeremiah gave a look of baffled consternation. Somberly, he replied, "It's the strangest thing. I'm healing him, but it's not healing him all the way."

Everyone looked at Jeremiah in confusion and dismay. He continued, "It's like some outside force is keeping him this way every time I let go."

Jeremiah looked up at Will, as if for answers. Will was just as stunned to the bizarre incidences that were occurring to him, and then felt Scully's eyes on him. She had knelt down beside Will to get a better look at him. The last time he saw his mother he looked like a teenager, but now he looked as old if not older than Scully. Scully looked deeply into his eyes, and although this was not the reunion that nobody anticipated or hoped for, Scully still took the time and recognized him by hugging him. With Gibson's head still in Will's lap, he turned his upper torso to wrap both arms around Scully.

William felt invigorated once again at Scully's embrace. A wave of euphoric bliss washed upon him like calm waves kissing the shoreline. He couldn't explain the strange connection that he felt with his mother or why she has this kind of effect on him. And although he loved and thought of his adoptive mother often, it was no match to the pull and intensity that Scully had on him. All he knew was that the rest of the world didn't matter as long as she was there in his life. She was the anchor that tethered his sanity and grounded his humanity.

Scully pulled back from the hug and started to cry. Scully grimaced at the sight of Will's aged appearance. She never wanted him to leave all those weeks ago. All those nights arguing with Mulder, was all done in pain for her only son. In tears of sadness and helplessness, she held Will's face in her two hands and weeped, "My boy… My dear boy, what have they done to you?"

Will's eyes began to water, sympathetic to Scully's concern, "Mom, what am I to do?"

"…I don't know…," was all Scully could mutter unconfidently before Mulder interrupted, "We need to get Gibson evacuated from here."

Mulder and Agent Harrison were standing silently by Scully, while Jeremiah still held on to Gibson's arm and shoulder trying to resuscitate him.

"But we're at a hospital, aren't we?" piped in Agent Harrison, "Shouldn't we just go inside?"

"If you haven't noticed, this hospital is being evacuated," said Mulder while pointing at the flashing lights emitting from the dozens of law enforcement vehicles outside, "For what reasons? That I'm not sure of. But I think it best that we get moving."

Mulder went over to Gibson and with Jeremiah's assistance lifted Gibson's unconscious body to his feet. Mulder took Gibson's left arm and swung it over his shoulder and Jeremiah the same on the opposite side, both sharing Gibson's weight. Will helped his mother to her feet and wrapped a protective arm around her. His head was swarming with so many thoughts, that it was difficult to decipher which were others versus his own. William looked at his mother and ignored the shouting voices that raged for his attention inside his head. In his mind, all was justified. He went out and accomplished what his father bid him to do. He brought back Agent Leyla Harrison. Will's conscience was clear, knowing that although his body looked older now, Mulder would have to know he was his son. Now that Scully had given William's strength back, his abilities were renewed and there was nothing that could stop him. The group had walked toward the exit door of the Parking Garage's first floor level. Will led the charge, walking through it first with Scully by his side. Agent Harrison followed after Scully along with Mulder and Jeremiah dragging Gibson's feet. They had all walked through the door, becoming exposed to the night's exposing air…

* * *

"…_We've got an ID on the target…Target is located in the parking garage...Target has hostages, I repeat, Target has hostages…"_

Agents Reyes and Doggett both heard the messages coming through on their radios and they ran toward the Parking Garage of the hospital. The reporters overheard the radioed message and followed the agents as close they could on the outskirts of the perimeter. Agents Doggett and Reyes caught up with their Director and Reyes shouted, "Sir! That's Mulder who's in there. Mulder's one of the hostages. Don't shoot! I implore you! There's isn't enough intel to proceed with such hostility."

"We're in over our heads on this one. You have no idea what William is capable of, I've seen his abilities with my own eyes," said Doggett throwing all his credit on the line.

"Sir, I insist, any threat and William will act out to protect himself as well as his father."

"Agents! None of the information you are providing me is backed up by any sort of proof! Besides, these are direct orders coming in from higher up as well as myself. There is no escape for this terrorist. And with the manpower we have here, he will be wise to give himself up."

"Sir, must you be so damn ignorant! You're putting the lives around you in serious risk!" exclaimed Agent Doggett.

Agent Braxton interjected and growled, "Agent Doggett you are out of line and about to be dismissed from your duties for insubordination if you don't remove yourself now!"

"John!" shouted Reyes, pulling Doggett backwards and away from their superior officer.

Within seconds, flood lights shone on the individuals walking out from the parking garage. The blinding lights caught Will and his companions off-guard. Reyes heard coming out of her radio, _"…I've got a shot…"_

Then she heard her Director reply, _"…Take it…"_

* * *

William was stunned by the blinding lights and tried to hold Scully close. What he didn't expect was the sound that came from the blinding lights. A gun shot was fired and everything became silent. He did his best to look around, ducking and covering his head out of instinct. He looked down at his body and felt no injury. "…Will…" said Scully softly.

Will looked over at Scully clutching her upper torso. She reached for Will with her blood-soaked hand before completely collapsing. "Mom!" cried out William.

Will, being so close to Scully, immediately held on to her and tried to gently lower her to the ground. He grabbed her hand and held her face with the other. He could feel her pulse and the warm light within her fade away quickly. Scully gurgled blood out from her mouth while attempting to speak to William. "No matter what has happened, I have always loved you."

"No, no, no, no! Don't say that! I'm going to fix you. I will heal you!" But William's mind was racing. Scully was dying. He tried desperately to focus, but he was so distraught his mind along with his abilities refused to work. William's body was becoming just as numb as Scully's. Scully's clear blue eyes stared at William's. She took one last shallow breath and replied, "You are my miracle. I love you so…"

"Mom… MOM… _MOM!_"cried William in between sobs. Scully's pupils relaxed as a deceased Scully stared blankly back as William. He continued sobbing into his chest as he took two fingers to lower Scully's eyelids.

Mulder looked solemnly over at Scully and William, staying close to Gibson's side. Jeremiah and Agent Harrison didn't know what to make of the situation and were attempting to walk over to Will to console him. Just as Agent Harrison and Jeremiah were getting closer, so were the S.W.A.T. officers.

The few seconds felt like an eternity. Will thought of his adoptive parents. Will thought of meeting his parents for the first time. He thought of the injustice to everything that had involved him. It was then that Will's sadness quickly turned to pain, which violently turned into frustration and wildly into anger.

Tears of rage fell from the corners of his eyes as he screamed, his face turning into multiple shades of red.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

A giant energy pulse surged through the air and caused everybody within the vicinity to tremble. Will sneered as he felt power gaining strength within him. He turned to face the army of law enforcement and saw the eyes of all the officers before him.

"Fire at will! Fire _at_ Will!" shouted Agent Braxton.

Multiple shots came from everywhere. The energy emitting from William's body became a protective shield around Mulder, Gibson, Jeremiah, Harrison and Scully's body. The radiation bubble that William was casting caused the attacking bullets to instantly melt into metallic rain which hit the ground like soft pennies. The weird vibrations he felt whenever one of his clones was nearby were consuming his body. William called upon the once inaudible hum and made it audible, to everyone. He heightened the intensity of these hums and turned it onto the people surrounding him producing ultra-high frequencies. Nobody knew what was happening, until suddenly raging headaches blossomed. Cops and reporters fell to their knees as blood trickled from every facial orifice. People were screaming in pain due to the overwhelming intensity as tiny blood vessels busted.

"William!" shouted a woman from within the crowd. William saw Reyes emerge from within the wall of suffering people. She staggered and stumbled as she struggled to come forward, falling to her knees before him. "What are you doing? Stop this! This isn't you."

William saw the evidence of his anger as he looked down upon her. Reyes clutched her own head in pain. Blood was trickling from her nose and ears. He thought of her baby, Mia. He looked around at his fallen comrades and noticed the same reaction to his anger. Will stopped his violent rampage and realized the assault he was bestowing on the people around, both kin and foe. Ashamed of what he did and afraid of what he's become, he looked around at the damage and at his aged hands. He looked up at Reyes. Shock, fear, disgust and guilt consumed William's face. Reyes wiped the blood away from her nose as she hesitantly inched closer to William and extended her warm welcoming hands out of good faith.

In his confliction, he felt more alien than his usual self. He didn't know who he was anymore. William was filled with grief and managed to whimper out to Reyes, "I'm so sorry."

With the utmost regret for his actions, he fled the area disappearing in a flash of light.


	14. Gods Among Men

Reyes lowered her arms slowly, extended to the void which once hosted William's presence. Doggett staggered out of the bewildered crowd and approached Reyes with a comforting hug. The news reporters were stunned and dazed from the whole situation, but were mostly frustrated that the heightened vibrations caused by William disrupted their newsfeed and caused all technology to malfunction. All the rest of the FBI agents and S.W.A.T. officers were too consumed in their pain and suffering from raging migraines. Reyes, along with everybody around her, felt dizzy. She was about to stand up when she heard a familiar voice within the crowd, "Scully! SCULLY!"

Doggett thought he was hearing-impaired and wiped the blood dripping from his ear. They all turned to discover Mulder dodging people from within the crowd to get to Scully. Confused, they all turned around to discover Mulder's doppelganger stepping away from Gibson's body. The approaching Mulder had evidence of blood dripping out of his nose and ear, while the Gemini had no visible signs of trauma and was smirking evilly. The doppelganger turned and bolted for the parking garage door behind them. Doggett, who was still clutching his throbbing head yelled,

"Hey, Mul… You! Gah!" and stumbled after the mysterious identical Mulder.

The real Mulder rushed to Scully's fallen body, his knees soaking in Scully's small pool of warm blood. Gibson, who was lying on the ground, bolted upright gasping for breath.

"…_Mulder!_… He's not… Mulder…" said Gibson between breaths. He looked around to grasp his new surroundings. After quickly assessing the situation, Gibson croaked to Jeremiah, "I'm fine. I'm fine." Gibson tried to soothe his strained vocal folds by massaging the outside of his throat. "Go help Scully."

"Jeremiah can you save her?" asked a desperate Mulder. Jeremiah, seeing that Gibson was fine rushed over to Scully and placed a hand on her chest.

"Where's… Will?... He could've… saved her…" said Gibson who was trying to stabilize his breathing. Jeremiah felt Scully's forehead and the side of her throat. He replied as if speaking his somber thoughts out loud to himself, "You know Will. We know his abilities are closely tied with his emotions. When under stress his abilities wane. I saw this coming. William's outburst was bound to happen, it was just a matter of time."

Jeremiah went silent for a brief moment trying to read for any vital signs within Scully and then suddenly said, "Scully's pulse is faint she isn't dead!"

Jeremiah immediately exposed Scully's wounds and placed both of his hands over it. Mulder, Reyes, Harrison, and Gibson watched with bated breath as Jeremiah tried to revitalize her. Although it was getting dark, within mere seconds color blossom in her once paling skin. Jeremiah lifted his hands and they saw Scully's chest calmly rise and fall on its own. The wound closed up like a drawstring bag and then sealed itself up like a seamless zipper. When the lesion had become nonexistent, he plucked the bullet that rose out of her body and tossed it away. Then finally, Scully gently opened her eyes as if waking from a peaceful sleep.

* * *

Doggett slammed through the garage door, chasing after the assailant. Mulder's double weaved between cars as he made it to the stairwell door and through it. Doggett made for his gun as he watched the door to the stairwell slowly close in front of him. He proceeded in caution allowing his years in the police force to guide him well. He jerked the door open and checked all the corners and hidden nooks in the stairwell as he made his way up the stairs in a hurried fashion. Doggett made it all the way up to the top of the garage stairs and proceeded through the door gun first. He was startled to find Mulder's look-a-like staring back at him from just a few yards away as if embracing his death. Doggett tried to maintain a cool exterior, fixating his gaze and aim at the man's chest.

"I don't know who the hell you are, but you've got some nerve showing up around here," shouted Doggett at the stranger.

"Go ahead and shoot if that'll make you believe," replied the mysterious person using Mulder's voice. "But then again, that's always been your problem. You won't believe in anything, even if it is staring at you in the face."

"Who are you? Are you a super soldier?"

"C'mon John, you're smarter than that. Look into my eyes and tell me you truly don't know who I am."

The next few seconds seemed like hours for John Doggett as he stood there frantically pondering who this man could be. Doggett stood; gun poised at the man's chest, and tried to look through the false exterior and into his eyes. The eyes were different from that of Mulder's natural color. This was the cold steel gaze that young William had described to him when they first met; the kind that was giving Will nightmares. These were the same frighteningly penetrating eyes that pierced into Doggett's mind as it hit him.

~…_Liam…~ _thought Doggett.

"Yes," said Liam as he quickly morphed from Mulder to a thirty year old version of William. "You know John, you are a lot smarter than you give yourself credit for."

Liam, who was only standing ten feet away, lifted up his hand and disarmed Doggett by using his telekinetic abilities. The gun was yanked from Doggett's hands, which flew into the air and into Liam's right hand. Frightened and half-crazed, Doggett pressed his luck by shouting, "So now what, you're just going to kill me? Is that how this is going down?"

"Easy John, and no, that would be too simple. We've got plans for you, for all of you, in fact. Mankind is now facing change and I am that facilitator."

"Then Scully getting shot… that was your plan all along!"

Liam tapped his nose, recognizing Doggett's comment and then pointed at him briefly. "Looks like someone's been paying attention in class."

"And William?"

"Oh yes, he's… _special_. Tonight was critical in bringing him to his destiny," said Liam who was fiddling around with the gun in hands. His demeanor seemed practically gleeful.

"So let me see if I get this straight. You somehow convinced Will to come home and to witness his mother dying-"

"-by the hands of humans, no less," remarked Liam, smirking. "That was classic."

"And you think that will convince him to join your cause? That's B.S. He'll never help you."

"You think so? Whenever someone is on the precipice of something, all they need is a little… push. But you know what? I'm insulted. Of all people to know a person, you would think their own clone would know just the right buttons to hit."

Angered by Liam's attitude, Doggett stood his ground and persisted, "So you think you have it all figured out! You clones think you're gods-"

"Human, we _ARE_ Gods!" Liam's voice resonated, and at his last words the ground briefly shook below them. Doggett and the clone waited in silence as they stared each other down. Liam watched Doggett, reading his mind and his body language as if expecting his fortitude to falter. Doggett's stance remained firm and planted.

"Well that's just great," replied Doggett sarcastically. "So what's in this majestic plan that doesn't involve killing me?"

"Now, now, I can't give all my cookies away," said Liam slyly. He paused for a moment looking at Doggett curiously. His defiant manner was unlike any human he had encountered before and it piqued his interest. "You are not afraid of me."

"I am not," stated Doggett, shaking his head and not breaking eye contact with Liam.

"Why is that?"

"Because when I look at you," said Doggett walking slowly and confidently up to Liam, "I see a scared little eleven year old boy. The same one I met just a few months ago. Who fears… just like a human."

Liam scoffed and grinned as Doggett closed the distance between them and they were face to face. Being so close, Doggett could see Liam's upper lip quiver and his cheek muscles tense as he clenched his jaw.

He continued to grin at Doggett, "You know, most men when approached as such would interpret this as threat."

"Why, are ya feeling threatened?"

At this point, Liam smiled and laughed as he placed the gun back into Doggett's hand. He looked right into Doggett's eyes and said, "This was fun, but I really got to go. Let's do this again sometime, hmm? Oh, and one more thing, keep a close eye on Scully for us, hmm?"

Doggett, confused by the information that was revealed to him, furrowed his eyebrows. Just as he was starting to make sense of what had been said, he watched Liam disappear with a flash of light into the dark night sky.


End file.
